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l  i  wo. 


WORKS  BY 
DR.  HABPHIDE. 

MIND  AND  BODY. 

Hypnotism  and  Suggestion  applied  in 
Therapeutics  and  Education. 

12mo.,  silk  cloth,  gilt  edge,  231  pages,  $1.00. 

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THE 


PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM 


\  “ 

A.  B.,  M.  D.,  B.  D.,  Etc. 


A 


AUTHOR  OF  MIND  AND  BODY,  THE  THEORY  AND 
PRACTICE  OF  SUGGESTIVE  THERAPEUTICS, 
CLIN*C£l1j  HYPNOTISM,  ETC.,  ETC 


bootom  collbgc  library 

•••TNUT  HILL,  MASS. 


FIRST  EDITION 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  AUTHORS’  PUBLISHING  CO. 

CHICAGO 

1901 


COPYRIGHT 


BY  THE  AUTHOR 
MCMI. 


TO 

MY  PARENTS 

THIS  LITTLE  VOLUME  IS  MOST 
AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED  BY 


THE  AUTHOR. 


PREFACE. 


At  the  beginning  of  the  Psychic  century,  as 
the  20th  century  is  called,  it  is  fitting  that  a 
work  dealing  with  the  elements  of  Psychic  Phe¬ 
nomena  should  be  forthcoming.  The  need  has 
been  felt  by  many  who  like  myself  have  been 
studying  and  teaching  these  subjects  and  have 
repeatedly  been  asked  by  students  to  refer  them 
to  such  a  work.  This  volume  is  offered  to 
meet  the  demands  for  a  simple,  concise  state¬ 
ment  of  the  elements  of  Psychism. 

The  author  has  made  no  attempt  to  write  an 
exhaustive  treatise.  For  several  years,  as  a 
member  and  director  of  the  Esoteric  Extension 
he  has  led  groups  of  students  in  their  studies 
in  this  department.  This  book  is  the  outcome 
of  these  courses  of  study,  and  is  given  to  the 
public  practically  in  the  same  form  that  it  was 
presented  to  the  Groups. 

In  preparing  the  work,  everything  has  been 
sacrificed  to  simplicity  and  plainness.  No  meta¬ 
physical  discussions  have  been  indulged  in, 
although  the  temptation  to  do  so  was  great. 
And  if  it  does  for  the  general  reader,  what  his 


PREFACE. 


students  say  it  has  done  for  them,  namely, 
simplifies  and  explains  a  rather  mysterious  sub¬ 
ject,  he  will  be  satisfied. 

The  many  readers  of  the  author’s  wTork  Mind 
and  Body,  An  application  of  Hypnotism  and 
Suggestion  in  Therapeutics  and  Education,  who 
have  favored  him  with  letters  enquiring  about 
various  Psychic  Phenomena,  it  is  thought,  will 
be  fully  answered  in  the  present  volume.  Hop¬ 
ing  that  the  same  generous  treatment  and  favor¬ 
able  reception  may  be  accorded  to  this  work 
that  was  given  to  Mind  and  Body,  the  author 
intrusts  it  to  the  hands  of  his  readers. 

A.  C.  H. 

No.  3217  Wabash  Avenue,  Chicago. 

January,  1901. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PSYCHISM. 


Psychism  an  unexplored  country — The  Psychic — The 
way  he  is  developed — The  power  of  Suggestion — 
Psychic  Healing  —  Thought  Transference  —  Clear 
seeing  and  hearing — Soul  measurement — Sleep  and 
Dreams — Somnambulism  and  Trances — Is  there  a 
future  life? — Psychism  a  study  of  man’s  inner  life. 

- —  ■wl~-  *** 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE  PSYCHIC. 

Man  the  highest  product  of  evolution — A  physical  and 
mental  being — The  Psychic  described — The  defini¬ 
tion  of  mind — The  duality  of  the  mind — The  Psychic 
defined — He  functions  at  will  on  the  subconscious 
plane — The  Psychic  not  a  new  creation — A  classi¬ 
fication  of  Psychics — Modern  Psychics — The  His¬ 
tory  of  the  Psychic — The  extreme  estimates  of  the 
Psychic — The  personalities  of  the  Psychic — The 
Psychic  a  marked  character — The  Psychic  not 
wholly  objectionable — He  aims  high — The  Yogi  as 
an  example — Jesus  a  better  example. 

*  \ 

CHAPTER  III. 

PSYCHIC  DEVELOPMENT. 

The  Psychic  is  a  development — Exercise  is  the  condi¬ 
tion  of  all  development — There  is  no  best  method — 
Many  methods  have  been  used — The  ancient  meth¬ 
ods — An  ancient  method  quoted — Modern  methods 
are  modifications  of  the  old — Sitting  in  the  Silence — 
The  power  of  silence — The  breathing  exercises — A 
caution — rSuggestion  is  a  means  of  soul-culture — 
The  use  of  Hypno-Suggestion — Ascetic  austerities  in 
development — The  Japanese  ascetic — The  Yogi — All 
should  understand  Psychic  development. 


viii 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SUGGESTION. 

Ideas  are  contagious — Suggestibility  constitutional — 
Two  laws  of  mind — Suggestion  defined — Sugges¬ 
tion  in  the  waking  state — The  idea  of  free  will 
must  be  modified — The  power  of  Suggestion — The 
school  boy — The  student  of  music — Suggestion  as  a 
cure — A  case — Hypno-Suggestion — Hypnotism  de¬ 
fined — Hypnotic  versus  waking  Suggestion— Hyp¬ 
notism  as  a  Cure — Illustrative  cases — Suggestion  in 
Psychiatry — Autosuggestion — The  manner  of  self- 
suggestion — Its  value — A  living  monument  of  Auto¬ 
suggestion — Illustrative  cases — The  limitation  of 
Autosuggestions — Suggestion  in  subconscious  con¬ 
ditions — The  cases  selected  for  illustration. 

CHAPTER  V. 

THE  RATIONAL  OF  PSYCHOPATHY. 

The  importance  of  the  subject — The  existence  of  a 
Psychic  power — Mental  medicine — A  half  dozen 
systems  of  the  same — An  underlying  law  common 
to  all — A  question  of  Psychology — The  duality  of 
mind  explained — Proofs  of  double  consciousness — 
Illustrative  cases — The  amenability  of  the  mind  to 
suggestion — Manner  of  increasing  suggestibility — 
The  subconscious  mind  suggestible — Subconscious 
mind  controls  the  bodily  functions — Power  of  the 

mind  over  the  body — The  law  of  Suggestion  the  law 
of  cure — An  illustration  of  the  same — Absent  treat¬ 
ments — The  value  of  faith — Necessary  conclusions. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

TELEPATHY. 

Telepathy  a  central  factor  in  Psychic  Research — 
Thoughts  are  mental  creations — Telepathy  defined — 
Telepathy  in  the  waking  state — Thought-Trans¬ 
ference  a  common  experience — It  was  known  in  an- 


CONTENTS. 


IX 


cient  times — Rapport  facilitates  its  operation — A 
well  known  author’s  experience  —  Unintentional 
plagiarism — A  Telepathic  experiment  with  cards — 
The  theory  of  absent  treatment — Telepathy  easy  to 
study — Telepathy  in  natural  sleep — It  usually 
occurs  in  dreams — Sees  a  brother  murdered — Ex¬ 
periments — A  Telepathic  phantasm — Telepathy  in 
Hypnosis — Hypnotism  a  great  aid  to  its  study — A 
case  of  mind  leading — The  notes  of  an  evening's 
experimentation — Delayed  perception — The  Profes¬ 
sor’s  opinion — Telepathie  a  trois. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

CLAIRVOYANCE  AND  CLAIRAUDIENCE.  . 

Clairvoyance  and  Clairaudience  real  facts — The  avenues 
which  lead  to  the  mind — Sense  perceptions  depend¬ 
ent  upon  the  mind — The  seen  and  the  unseen  relative 
terms — The  impenetrability  of  matter  and  the  X- 
ray — Clairvoyance  and  Clairaudience  in  con¬ 
scious  states — The  phenomena  intimately  related 
with  Telepathy — Natural  and  developed  power — The 
Author’s  experience — A  Clairvoyant  reading  veri¬ 
fied — Clairvoyance  and  Clairaudience  in  the 
subconscious  state — Intentional  and  unintentional 
experiences — The  subconscious  states — Experiments 
with  hypnotized  subjects — A  young  man  sent  to 
Cuba — A  young  lady  sent  home — A  trip  to  South 
Africa — Describes  a  Battle — She  tells  the  time — 
Conclusion. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

PSYCHOMETRY. 

The  intimate  relationship  between  supersensuous  facul¬ 
ties — Definition  of  Psychometry — Mysterious  consti¬ 
tution  of  nature — Dr.  Brewster  quoted — “The  book 
of  nature” — History  of  Psychometry — The  Psy- 
chometrist’s  development — Psychometry  in  the 
waking  state — Its  application — A  Mineral  Psy- 
chometrist — Psychometry  in  Medicine — An  experi- 


CONTENTS. 


x 


ment  with  a  piece  of  wood  from  the  Mount  of 
Olives — Psychometry  deals  only  with  the  past — 
Some  unscrupulous  Psychometrists — Psychometry 
in  Hypnosis — The  states  compared — Experiment 
with  a  souvenir  from  Niagara  Falls — The  Hypnotic 
visits  the  falls — The  Psychic  atmosphere  of  coun¬ 
tries — America’s  position — Psychometry  needs  care¬ 
ful  study  to  place  it  upon  its  proper  footing. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

SLEEP  AND  DREAMS. 

The  importance  of  the  subject — Sleep  and  Dreams  com¬ 
mon  to  man  and  animals — The  cause  of  errors — 
Sleep — “Nature’s  sweet  restorer” — Definitions — 
Physiology  versus  Psychology  in  sleep — Sleep  a 
subconscious  condition — An  experiment  showing 
the  relation  of  Sleep  to  Hypnosis — The  key  to  the 
Phenomena  of  Sleep — Dreams — The  ancient  concep¬ 
tion  of  Dreams — The  “stuff  that  Dreams  are  made 
of” — Dreams  defined — The  causation  of  Dreams — 
Physiologic  Causes — Psychologic  causes — An  An¬ 
cient  illustration — A  Suggested  Dream — Telepathic 
Dreams — A  Clairvoyant  Dream — The  influence  of  a 
room  or  place — The  meaning  and  value  of  Dreams — 
The  study  of  Dreams. 

CHAPTER  X. 

SOMNAMBULISM  AND  TRANCES. 

The  Subconscious  States — The  Eastern  classifications 
of  them — Somnambulism — It  belongs  to  the  phe¬ 
nomena  of  Sleep — Definition — Natural  Somnam¬ 
bulism — Two  examples  of  Sleep-walking — Professor 
McClure’s  opinion — Morbid  Somnambulism — The 
case  of  a  French  lady — Artificial  Somnambulism 
— Hypnotic  experiments — The  power  of  divination — 
Amnesia — Trances — Kinds  of  Trances — Definition 


CONTENTS. 


xi 


— Spontaneous  Trances — “Wrapped  into  visions” 
— Autotrances — They  are  self-induced  and  self¬ 
limited — The  profound  Trances  of  the  Yogis — 
Harides  test — Trances  and  Theosophy — The  Eng¬ 
lish  Teacher — Induced  Trances — Suggestion  in 
Trances — The  unreliability  of  Trance  revelations — 
Spiritistic  Trances — Mediums  hypnotized  by  Spirits 
— Does  the  soul  leave  the  body? 

CHAPTER  XI. 

SPIRITISM. 

The  interest  in  the  subject — Spiritism  defined — Its  re¬ 
lation  to  immortality — Ti-ie  phenomena — A  list  of 
the  same — Fraudulent  Phenomena — Genuine  Phe¬ 
nomena — The  means  of  the  productions — The 
Medium — Kinds  of  Mediums — All  Mediums  Psy¬ 
chics — Going  under  control — The  manner  of  their 
production — The  Seances — “Fortune  Telling” — 
The  Spiritistic  circle — Slate  writing — The  messages 
— Levitations — Materializations — Explanations  of 
the  production — Spiritists’  theory  discarded — Hal¬ 
lucination  and  Telepathy — This  theory  insufficient  in 
some  instances — Indian  fakirs — The  mind  creation 
theory — “Thoughts  are  things” — Psychics  can  pro¬ 
duce  phantasms — Witchcraft — Some  conclusions. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  FUTURE  OF  PSYCHISM. 

A  forecast  of  Psychism — Some  problems  to  be  solved — 
The  Psychic’s  character  must  be  exalted — Psychism 
must  prepare  the  way  for  the  development  of  such  a 
character — No  Psychic  influence  without  its  power 
for  good  or  ill — The  study  of  the  future  will  be  the 
study  of  the  forces  within  man — “Do  coming  events 
cast  their  shadows  before  them?” — “If  a  man  die 
shall  he  live  again?” — Our  banner  bears  the  motto 
Psychism. 

Appendix  . 


213-228 


CHAPTER  I. 


•  PSYCHISM. 

Psychism  an  unexplored  country — The  Psychic — The 
way  he  is  developed — The  power  of  Suggestion — 
Psychic  Healing  —  Thought  Transference  —  Clear 
seeing  and  hearing — Soul  measurement — Sleep  and 
Dreams — Somnambulism  and  Trances — Is  there  a 
future  life? — Psychism  a  study  of  man’s  inner  life. 


Psychism  is  still  largely  an  unexplored 
country  supposed  to  be  peopled  by  all  sorts  of 
mysterious  dangers  and  promising  prospects. 
To  be  sure,  excursions  have  been  made  into  its 
unknown  regions  by  venturesome  explorers ; 
some  have  returned  with  the  report  that  the 
country  is  uninviting,  full  of  dangers,  and  that 
the  Anakim  possess  the  land  and  have  advised  to 
avoid  it ;  others  have  brought  back  the  report 
that  it  is  a  beautiful  land,  most  desirable  and 
flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  and  have  advised 
to  go  up  and  possess  it.  These  reports  deserve 
further  consideration,  and  it  is  purposed  to  make 
a  more  careful  study  of  the  subject. 

19 


20 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


A  study  of  Psychism  includes  an  investiga¬ 
tion  into  the  character  of  the  people  who  pro¬ 
duce  its  phenomena,  and  a  careful  review  of  the 
wonders  and  works  performed.  The  reduction 
of  any  subject  to  a  scientific  basis  includes  the 
collection  of  its  body  of  facts  and  an  investiga¬ 
tion  of  the  laws  and  conditions  governing  the 
facts.  Let  us  adopt  this  method  in  the  treat¬ 
ment  of  the  subject  of  Psychism. 

The  people  who  produce  the  unusual  phenom¬ 
ena  form  a  most  interesting  body,  and  as  we 
consider  them  we  are  led  to  wonder  whether 
they  are  endowed  with  any  unusual  peculiarities, 
or  have  by  some  means  developed  their  occult 
power.  It  seems  that  the  latter  supposition  is 
true,  namely,  that  they  have  developed  by  pa¬ 
tient,  persistent  practice  psychical  power  suffi¬ 
cient  to  differentiate  them  from  the  ordinary 
people.  The  Psychic  is  the  center  around  which 
is  arranged  all  of  the  facts  and  phenomena  of 
Psychism,  therefore,  he  is  a  most  important 
factor  in  our  investigation.  It  is  worth  while  to 
approach  as  near  to  him  as  possible  and  study 
him  in  various  lights,  so  that  we  may  understand 
what  sort  of  a  person  he  is.  This  is  not  diffi¬ 
cult  for  one  who  has  the  patience  and  can  do 
so  with  an  unprejudiced  mind.  He  may  be 
watched  as  he  works,  conversed  with  about  his 


PSYCHISM. 


21 


achievements,  and  often  he  will  explain  by  what 
methods  he  attained  to  his  enviable  position. 
Those  who  will  may  follow  him  if  they  are 
willing  to  pay  the  price  in  self-sacrifice  and  per¬ 
severing  practice,  and  duplicate  his  develop¬ 
ment.  The  development  that  one  has  attained  is 
within  the  possibilities  of  another. 

Suggestion,  Simple,  Hypnotic  and  Auto,  is  a 
most  important  factor  in  the  production  of 
Psychic  Phenomena,  for  it  furnishes  the  means 
of  opening  the  door  which  leads  to  the  heart 
of  Psychism.  By  its  aid  the  mind  may  be  studied 
in  its  most  intimate  operations,  and  by  its  aid 
the  constitution  of  the  mind  may  be  revealed. 
Its  artificial  somnambulism  and  trances  duplicate 
spontaneous  subconscious  conditions  and  ex¬ 
plain  many  of  their  mysteries  that  without  it 
would  be  inscrutable.  Any  attempt  to  unravel 
the  wonders  of  Psychism  without  its  aid  must 
almost  certainly  fail,  but  we  have  and  may  use 
it ;  let  us  do  so  conscientiously. 

This  is  illustrated  in  Psychism,  in  no  connec¬ 
tion  better  than  in  Psychic  Healing.  Psychopa- 
is  a  young  science,  but  it  has  already  abundantly 
proven  its  worth.  Many  persons  who  were 
suffering  from  so  called  incurable  maladies  are 
indebted  to  it  for  their  present  state  of  health. 
There  are  many  different  schools  of  Psycho- 


22 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


curative  systems,  all  of  which  might  be  classified 

under  the  title  Mental  Medicine.  The  theories 

% 

of  their  curative  action  vary  almost  infinitely, 
but  surely  the  mind  cannot  have  so  many  dif¬ 
ferent  modes  of  cure.  Is  it  not  possible  to  unify 
these  under  one  all-embracing  law  of  mind? 
There  is  as  much  need  of  unity  here  as  there  is 
in  religion.  Let  us  hope  that  a  solution  of  these 
problems  may  soon  appear.  That  man’s  mind, 
or  soul  if  you  will,  with  its  powers  and  destinies, 
may  soon  be  more  fully  understood. 

That  the  mind  has  other  modes  of  communi¬ 
cation  besides  those  depending  upon  the  special 
and  general  senses  no  longer  admits  of  a  reason¬ 
able  doubt.  Thoughts  speed  from  soul  to  soul 
across  wide  distances  of  space  independently  of 
sense  connections.  Telepathy  is  a  fact.  The 
senses  are  not  the  only  avenues  that  lead  to  the 
soul ;  many  other  windows  exist  if  only  they  are 
unbarred  and  opened.  Open  the  windows  of 
your  soul  and  let  in  the  whole  truth !  The  win¬ 
dow  of  one  narrow  creed  is  too  meager  to 
satisfy  the  longings,  aspirations  and  hopes  of  the 
human  soul. 

The  mind  can  look  far  away  and  see  without 
the  use  of  the  physical  sight.  The  mind  can 
catch  far  distant  sounds,  without  the  aid  of  the 
physical  hearing.  The  beauties,  pleasures  and 


PSYCHISM. 


23 


knowledge  of  the  world  are  not  kept  from  the 
mind  though  separated  from  it  by  many  leagues 
of  space.  Friend  sees  friend  across  distances  of 
thousands  of  miles,  looking  into  the  dear  face 
with  loving  felicitude,  and  hearing  the  sweet, 
fond  voice  speaking  words  of  comfort  and  cheer. 
Is  it  too  much  to  hope  that  the  time  may  come 
when  these  things  may  be  done  not  occasionally 
by  the  few,  but  frequently  by  the  many  ?  I  think 
not.  What  man  has  done  man  may  do,  and  it 
seems  that  all  men  have  been  endowed  with 
faculties  sufficient  for  these  things. 

Things  as  well  as  persons,  it  is  said,  speak  to 
the  receptive  mind.  A  bit  of  stone,  wood  or 
cloth  will  tell  its  history  to  him  who  has  faculties 
keen  enough  to  receive  the  message.  A  lock  of 
hair  or  a  garment  is  sufficient  material  for  tho 
Psychometrist  to  tell  the  whole  history  of  the 
person  who  wore  it.  To  such  a  person  the  walls 
of  a  room  reveal  the  secrets  known  to  none  but 
those  who  took  part  in  them.  All  pronounce 
this  development  wonderful.  Surely  man  is 
wonderfully  and  fearfully  made — mentally.  How 
fine  are  his  perceptions  when  properly  devel¬ 
oped  ! 

Sleep  may  serve  not  only  as  a  period  of  rest, 
but  also  serve  as  an  opportunity  to  aid  others. 
We  may  lie  down  to  sleep,  to  recuperate  our 


24  .  the  psychic  and  psychism. 


own  bodily  forces,  and  at  the  same  time  lie  down 
to  send  helpful  messages,  encouraging  and  cura¬ 
tive  thoughts  to  persons  who  may  be  in  need  of 
them,  though  separated  from  them  by  many 
miles.  Also,  we  may  receive  help  from  others. 
While  we  sleep  they  may  send  us  the  same 
helpful  thoughts  that  it  is  possible  for  us  to 
send  to  them.  Not  only  is  this  true,  but  it  is 
possible  to  do  it  in  such  a  way  that  we  may  be 
conscious  of  the  exchange  of  friendly  thoughts 
or  messages.  One  may  waken  in  the  morning 
to  find  that  he  has  a  message  from  a  far  distant 
friend  or  loved  one  brought  not  by  post,  but  by  a 
far  speedier  carrier,  one  that  speeds  with  the 
wings  of  thought. 

Somnambulists  and  Trance  Mediums,  when  in 
that  subliminal  condition  become  the  receivers  of 
the  thoughts  of  the  world.  Having  put  aside  for 
the  time  being  the  grosser  sensibilities  of  the 
mind,  they  are  able  to  catch  the  subtle  waves  of 
thoughts  that  come  from  various  sources  and 
directions  that  are  constantly  knocking  at  .the 
door  of  the  subconsciousness  during  their  wak¬ 
ing  hours,  but  the  gentle  knocking  is  rarely  no¬ 
ticed  during  the  ordinary  conscious  state.  The 
information  and  messages  brought  back  from 
these  states  of  subconsciousness  are  often  misun¬ 
derstood  and  misinterpreted,  but  they  are  none 


PSYCHISM. 


25 


the  less  important,  and  it  behooves  us  to  find 
some  method  by  which  a  proper  understanding 
and  true  interpretation  of  them  may  be  made. 
He  who  does  this  will  render  mankind  a  great 
service,  which  will  not  soon  be  forgotten. 

The  messages  brought  back  from  sleep,  som¬ 
nambulic  and  trance  conditions  are  most  impor¬ 
tant.  Their  importance  cannot  be  overstated  if 
it  be  true,  as  many  claim  it  is,  that  they  emanate 
not  only  from  the  minds  of  the  living,  but  from 
discarnate  souls,  who  have  gone  on  before  us 
into  the  great  unknown.  It  is  said  that  these  mes¬ 
sages  answer  the  ancient  question  that  has  re¬ 
verberated  and  echoed  down  through  the  ages, 
namely,  “If  a  man  die,  shall  he  live  again?”  How 
many  of  us  have  voiced  this  query  as  with  aching 
heart  and  tear-blinded  eyes,  we  have  stood  over 
the  dead  bodies  of  our  loved  ones  ?  Is  it  possi¬ 
ble  that  by  long  search  and  careful  investigation 
we  may  find  the  answer,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
whole  world  of  this  momentous  question?  It 
may  be  so.  It  may  be  so,  but  who  can  foretell 
the  future? 

There  is  no  science  today  confronted  by  such 
momentous  questions  as  those  presented  to 
Psychism  for  solution.  The  answers  to  these 
problems  are  demanded  by  an  impatient,  anxious 
multitude  to  whom  the  answers  mean  more  than 


26 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


life  or  death.  How  long  must  they  wait  or  will 
no  answer  be  forthcoming?  The  future  alone 
can  answer  these  questions,  but  we  hope  that 
Psychism  will  be  equal  to  the  task. 

If  Psychism  is  made  up  of  such  facts  and  it  is 
possible  to  learn  the  laws  governing  their  rela¬ 
tionship,  it  is  amply  worth  any  man’s  while  to 
study  and  try  to  understand  it.  In  the  interest 
that  has  been  bestowed  upon  the  physical  sci¬ 
ences  man  has  too  much  overlooked  and  neg¬ 
lected  the  study  of  his  own  mind.  Is  it  not  pass¬ 
ing  strange  that  we  should  spend  our  time  on  the 
study  of  everything  under  heaven  outside  of  self 
and  almost  ignore  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world 
— the  mind?  Let  us  not  do  so  longer;  let  us  re¬ 
deem  the  past.  If  the  things  that  attention  has 
been  called  to  above  are  important  and  interest¬ 
ing,  begin  to  study  them  and  if  no  better  oppor¬ 
tunity  is  available,  follow  the  outline  laid  down 
in  the  chapters  which  follow.  Let  us  first  study 
the  Psychic. 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE  PSYCHIC. 

Man  the  highest  product  of  evolution — A  physical  and 
mental  being — The  Psychic  described — The  defini¬ 
tion  of  mind — The  duality  of  the  mind — The  Psychic 
defined — He  functions  at  will  on  the  subconscious 
plane — The  Psychic  not  a  new  creation — A  classi¬ 
fication  of  Psychics — Modern  Psychics — The  His¬ 
tory  of  the  Psychic — The  extreme  estimates  of  the 
Psychic — The  personalities  of  the  Psychic — The 
Psychic  a  marked  character — The  Psychic  not 
wholly  objectionable — He  aims  high — The  Yogi  as 
an  example — Jesus  a  better  example. 


Evolution  has  given  us  man  as  its  highest 
product ;  first,  it  gave  us  man  with  a  body  only 
and  then  after  an  almost  infinite  stride  it  gave 
us  man  with  a  body  and  a  mind.  Man  is  neither 
wholly  body  nor  wholly  mind,  although  there 
are  some  thinkers  and  teachers  who  hold  and 
teach  these  extreme  notions.  The  one  degrades 
man  to  a  mere  animal  without  a  soul,  the  other 
exalts  him  to  a  divinity  equal  with  his  maker. 
Man  is  neither  physical  nor  mental  only ;  he  is 

27 


28 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


more ;  he  is  a  synthesis  of  both.  His  life  is  not 
lived  on  the  low  plane  of  the  physical  nor  upon 
the  high  plane  of  the  mental,  but  upon  an  inter¬ 
mediate  plane  where  the  physical  and  the  mental 
overlap  and  blend.  Man  may  vary  his  plane  of 
living,  he  may  cater  to  the  body  and  live  very 
near  the  physical  plane,  or  he  may  cater  to  the 
mind  and  live  very  near  the  mental  plane,  but  he 
can  by  no  means  reach  either  extreme.  Man’s 
life  must  ever  be  psycho-physical. 

Between  these  wide  limits  all  human  beings 
are  found  during  their  sojourn  upon  the  earth. 
Those  who  approximate  the  plane  of  the  body 
are  said  to  live  physical  lives  and  those  who 
approximate  the  plane  of  the  mind  are  said  to 
live  psychical  lives.  The  one  turns  back  to  the 
time  when  man  was  a  savage  whose  whole  atten¬ 
tion  was  occupied  with  a  struggle  for  existence 
and  he  was  simply  a  hunter  for  food ;  the  Other 
forges  forward  toward  a  time  when  man  shall 
become  an  enlightened  being  whose  whole  at¬ 
tention  will  be  occupied  with  a  struggle  for 
knowledge  and  he  will  be  chiefly  a  hunter  for 
truth.  These  two  classes  of  people  are  not  sep¬ 
arated  by  any  sharp  line  of  demarcation — they 
are  simply  the  extreme  borders  of  the  stream 
of  human  life.  The  one  being  largely  'depend¬ 
ent  upon  the  physical  senses,  while  the  other 


THE  PSYCHIC 


29 


has  learned  to  depend  more  or  less  upon  the 
intuitive  faculties  of  the  mind.  It  is  among 
these  last  that  the  Psychic  is  found;  he  is  a 
person  who  has  learned  to  function  upon  the 
mental  plane  more  or  less  independently  of  the 
physical  senses. 

In  order  that  this  conception  of  the  Psychic 
may  be  perfectly  plain,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
define  mind.  Mind  is  the  subject  of  all  of  our 
conscious  activities,  the  whole  of  the  psychical 
being  of  man.  By  mind  we  mean  the  soul,  the 
ego,  the  spirit,  the  conscious  self  which  is  self¬ 
active  and  self-existant.  Mind  is  double  in  its 
nature  and  functions  upon  two  planes,  namely, 
the  conscious  and  the  subconscious.  The  con¬ 
scious  plane  is  largely  dependent  upon  the 
senses  and  may  be  characterized  as  sensorial; 
the  subconscious  plane  or  subliminal  conscious¬ 
ness  is  largely  dependent  upon  the  intuition  and 
the  immediate  perceptions  and  may  be  charac¬ 
terized  as  intuitional.  These  planes  of  con¬ 
sciousness  will  be  more  fully  considered  in  an¬ 
other  chapter.  Enough  has  been  said  to  call 
attention  to  their  existence  and  explain  their 
relation  to  this  subject. 

The  Psychic  is  a  person  who  by  natural  en¬ 
dowment  or  mental  development  is  able  at  will 
to  function  upon  the  subconscious  plane  more 


30 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


or  less  independently  of  the  sensorial.  In  short 
he  is  able  to  see  without  the  aid  of  the  physical 
organs  of  sight,  to  hear  without  the  physical 
organs  of  hearing,  to  communicate  over  wide 
distances  without  the  aid  of  the  physical  senses, 
and  in  many  other  wrays  justify  his  right  to  the 
name  by  producing  abundant  psychic  phenom¬ 
ena.  Let  us  approach  and  study  this  interest¬ 
ing  personage,  enquiring  into  i.  His  classifica¬ 
tion,  2.  His  history  and  3.  His  personal  charac¬ 
teristics. 

The  Psychic  is  not  a  new  creation  unless  it 
be  in  name,  for  under  various  appellations  he  has 
figured  upon  the  pages  of  history  since  the  be¬ 
ginning  of  its  record.  In  ancient  times  we 
recognize  him  as  the  Seer,  the  Prophet,  the 
Sooth-Sayer,  the  Yogi,  the  Magician  and  many 
others.  It  is  unnecessary  to  more  than  call  at¬ 
tention  to  these,  but  there  is  a  modern  group 
t!  at  it  will  be  necessary  to  more  exactly  define. 
A  complete  list  will  not  be  attempted,  and 
doubtless  every  reader  will  be  able  to  add  others, 
but  enough  will  be  given  to  indicate  the  con¬ 
ception  of  the  modern  Psychic. 

The  Psychic  was  for  some  time  and  is  still 
by  some  writers  conceived  to  be  a  Spiritistic 
Medium.  The  Medium  is  undoubtedly  a  Psy¬ 
chic,  but  the  Psychic  is  much  more  than  a 


THE  PSYCHIC. 


31 


Medium.  The  Medium  is  the  Psychic  who  is 
said  to  be  able  to  communicate  with  disem¬ 
bodied  spirits  and  to  occupy  a  position  as  inter¬ 
mediate  between  the  living  and  the  dead;  he  is 
the  “one  whose  psychic  force  supplies  the  power 
the  spirit  uses  to  produce  the  various  phenom¬ 
ena.” 

A  Clairvoyant  is  a  Psychic  who  is  able  to  see 
beyond  the  range  or  without  the  aid  of  the 
physical  organs  of  sight ;  that  is,  he  sees  with 
the  mind,  and  more  often  than  not  does  so  with 
his  eyes  closed.  A  Clairaudient  is  a  Psychic 
who  is  able  to  hear  beyond  the  range  and  with¬ 
out  the  aid  of  the  physical  organs  of  hearing; 
that  is,  he  hears  with  the  mind. 

The  Telepathist  is  a  Psychic  who  is  able  to 
communicate  with  others  by  the  use  of  occult 
mind  forces  beyond  the  range  of  and  without 
the  aid  of  the  physical  senses.  He  sends  thought 
messages  across  wide  distances  of  space,  thou¬ 
sands  of  miles,  with  none  other  than  mind  con¬ 
nection. 

The  Somnambulist  is  a  Psychic  who  in  normal 
or  induced  sleep  produces  the  phenomena  com¬ 
mon  to  the  waking  state  and  usually  has  no 
memory  of  his  somnambulistic  experience  after 
waking.  A  Hypnotic  is  a  somnambulist  who 
when  hypnotized  is  able  to  produce  the  phe¬ 
nomena  peculiar  to  hypnosis. 


32 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


The  Psychometrist  is  a  Psychic  who  has  the 
power  of  divination  who  can  tell  by  being  near 
or  in  contact  with  a  person,  place,  or  thing,  the 
past  history  of  the  subject  by  simply  holding  it 
in  his  hand. 

Throughout  the  pages  of  history  where  ref¬ 
erence  has  been  made  to  the  Psychic  we  every¬ 
where  find  him  misunderstood  and  consequently 
misrepresented.  Sometimes  he  was  favorably 
received  by  the  people  as  a  divine  messenger 
and  his  unusual  and  mysterious  deeds  were 
ascribed  to  the  aid  of  Divine  powTer;  at  other 
times  the  people  would  have  none  of  him,  be¬ 
lieving  that  he  was  in  league  with  the  powers 
of  darkness  and  that  his  works  so  strange  and 
weird  was  performed  by  the  aid  of  his  satanic 
majesty.  In  the  one  case  the  people  were  ready 
to  worship  the  performer  and  treated  him  with 
the  utmost  consideration,  showering  gifts  and 
benefactions  upon  him;  and  in  the  other  case 
they  feared  and  shunned  him  and  were  ready 
to  heap  all  sorts  of  abuse  and  persecutions  upon 
him,  even  to  the  extent  of  putting  him  to  death. 
The  history  of  the  past  is  repeated  in  the  his¬ 
tory  of  the  present,  modified  only  by  the  degree 
of  civilization.  The  performers  of  occult  phe¬ 
nomena  and  psychic  wonders  are  considered  by 
many  today  to  be  especially  gifted  with  Divine 


THE  PSYCHIC. 


33 


power  and  their  works  considered  authentica¬ 
tions  of  a  Divine  mission.  By  others,  all  per¬ 
sons  able  to  perform  these  mysterious  mental 
feats  are  considered  as  workers  of  black  magic 
and  are  shunned  and  feared,  if  not  persecuted 
to  the  aforetime  degree. 

The  present  estimates  of  the  Psychic  results 
from  two  causes;  first,  the  prejudice  that  sur¬ 
rounds  the  phenomena,  and  second,  the  mys¬ 
tery  with  which  the  performer  surrounds  them. 
The  past  has  given  us  the  prejudice  as  its  legacy, 
but  the  mystery  with  which  the  Psychic  inten¬ 
tionally  or  otherwise  has  shrouded  it,  is  by  far 
the  greater  hinderance  to  a  popular  understand¬ 
ing  of  the  subject.  Many  performers  deck 
themselves  with  a'  mantle  of  mystery  and  pre¬ 
tend  they  have  some  occult  power.  It  is  time 
for  them  to  throw  off  the  mantle  of  mystery 
and  to  stand  forth  as  men  and  women  who  have 
simply  developed  unusual  mental  powers.  The 
mysterious  is  always  feared.  Let  us  make  this 
subject  so  plain  and  simple  that  any  one  who 
will  may  understand  it. 

The  personalities  of  Psychics  are  peculiar; 
either  the  natural  endowment  or  developmental 
exercises  necessary  to  the  practice  of  their  cult 
renders  them  marked  people.  One  is  rarely 
found  who  is  not  peculiar,  not  to  say  eccentric. 


34 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


Moreover,  most  of  them  have  characters  in 
which  there  is  a  moral  twist.  This  twist  may 
be  considered  by  some  to  be  an  ornament,  but 
others  will  surely  think  it  otherwise.  Undoubt¬ 
edly  the  strain  of  the  psychic  work  laid  upon 
them  may  account  for  much  of  their  moral  lax¬ 
ity.  The  Psychic  after  a  seance  is  more  or  less 
exhausted  and  feels  the  need  of  a  stimulant 
which  he  too  often  takes,  with  the  result  that 
he  not  infrequently  develops  drug  and  liquor 
habits.  The  physical  condition  of  Psychics  is 
phenomenally  bad,  especially  among  those  who 
practice  many  ascetic  austerities.  There  is  a 
belief  more  or  less  common  among  them  that 
the  body  must  be  etherealized  by  asceticism  in 
order  to  secure  mental  development.  This  is 
especially  true  of  Oriental  Psychics.  They  are 
usually  pale  and  emaciated  and  might  be  de¬ 
scribed  as  having  “a  lean  and  hungry  look,” 
but  their  eyes,  through  which  the  soul  looks, 
are  generally  bright.  These  practices  will  be 
more  fully  discussed  in  the  next  chapter. 

Notwithstanding  the  truth  of  all  that  has  been 
said  above,  the  Psychic  is  not  always  or  wholly 
objectionable.  Indeed,  he  has  many  good  quali¬ 
ties,  qualities  that  are  thought  by  many  to  abun¬ 
dantly  offset  the  questionable  ones.  The  law 
of  compensation  not  only  demands  payment  for 


THE  PSYCHIC. 


35 


this  peculiar  development,  but  also  rewards  him 
for  the  losses  he  sustains  by  the  quality  of  the 
power  he  gains.  What  the  Psychic  gains  and 
the  marvelous  feats  he  is  able  to  perform  will  be 
amply  set  forth  and  illustrated  in  the  subsequent 
chapters.  If  Psychism  is  the  latest  and  highest 
development  in  the  evolution  of  the  mind,  it  is 
worth  the  high  price  that  must  be  paid  for  it. 
This  it  seems  to  be,  although  there  are  some 
who  see  in  it  only  a  vestigeal  remnant  brought 
up  from  a  lower  plane  of  existence.  It  will  be 
possible  to  make  a  better  judgment  of  this  after 
our  study  has  been  completed.  • 

The  pure  life  demanded  of  the  aspirants  after 
soul  culture  by  many  of  the  methods  of  devel¬ 
opments  often  bears  fruit  in  a  most  beautiful 
character.  Renunciations  are  neither  infre¬ 
quent  nor  few.  Selfishness,  which  is  '  the  es¬ 
sence  of  sin  or  error,  is  uncompromisingly 
stamped  out.  The  Psychic  aims  high,  and  to 
reach  the  goal  of  his  high  ambition  means  no 
less  a  thing  than  the  development  of  a  Christ- 
like  life.  Great  is  the  reward  of  those  who  at¬ 
tain  this,  for  they  become  illuminated  souls  and 
attain  what  is  known  as  Cosmic  Consciousness. 

The  Eastern  Yogi  would  serve  as  an  example 
of  the  extreme  Psychic,  and  his  powers  are  the 
wonder  of  the  world.  He  leaves  his  home,  fam- 


36 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


ily  and  friends,  for  a  home  in  a  cave  or  arbor 
in  the  jungles  or  mountains  and  makes  kinsmen 
and  friends  of  all  living  beings.  His  home  and 
country  are  the  wide  world.  His  raiment  is  the 
cheapest  that  may  be  had,  and  his  food  the 
poorest,  consisting  of  water  and  a  small  amount 
of  rice.  His  occupation  is  to  do  good  and  to 
sit  and  meditate  waiting  for  power  to  come  to 
him,  not  from  without,  but  from  within.  The 
Yogi’s  life  is  so  simple,  sincere  and  self-sacri¬ 
ficing  that  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  common 
people  of  his  country  give  him  the  title  of  “the 
holy  man/’  However,  he  does  not  meet  our 
idea  of  holiness,  for  while  we  admire  his  phys¬ 
ical  control,  psychic  power  and  wisdom,  we 
deprecate  his  improvidence  and  selfishness.  He 
should  come  forth  from  his  seclusion  and  teach 
what  he  has  learned  at  so  great  cost,  instead 
of  wasting  his  life  in  solitude.  He  comes  under 
the  same  condemnation  that  the  Christian 
ascetic  and  hermit  do  who  think  only  of 
escaping  the  evils  of  the  world  and  not  correct¬ 
ing  them.  One  had,  appreciated  and  used  the 
powers  and  knowledge  of  an  ideal  Psychic,  and 
he  went  about  doing  good  and  teaching.  His 
name  was  JESUS. 

The  foregoing  characterization  of  the  Psy¬ 
chic,  it  is  thought,  will  give  the  reader  a  fair 


THE  PSYCHIC. 


37 


delineation  of  that  interesting  character.  In 
outline  it  shows  who  and  what  he  is,  classifying 
his  various  departments  of  activity  and  pointing 
out  his  weakness  and  strength  of  character. 
The  methods  and  means  by  which  the  Psychic 
is  developed  will  be  discussed  in  the  next  chap¬ 
ter. 


*N 


/ 


\ 


CHAPTER  III. 

PSYCHIC  DEVELOPMENT. 

The  Psychic  is  a  development — Exercise  is  the  condi¬ 
tion  of  all  development — There  is  no  best  method — 
Many  methods  have  been  used — The  ancient  meth¬ 
ods — An  ancient  method  quoted — Modern  methods 
are  modifications  of  the  old — Sitting  in  the  Silence — 
The  power  of  silence — The  breathing  exercises — A 
caution — Suggestion  is  a  means  of  soul-culture — 
The  use  of  Hypno-Suggestion — Ascetic  austerities  in 
development — The  Japanese  ascetic — The  Yogi — All 
should  understand  Psychic  development. 


The  Psychic  is  developed,  not  born.  What¬ 
ever  may  be  true  of  the  poet,  this  is  true  of  the 
Psychic.  While  natural  endowment  may  vary 
greatly  in  individual  instances,  none  is  so  liber¬ 
ally  endowed  that  he  does  not  need  further  de¬ 
velopment.  All  are  capable  of  some  soul  devel¬ 
opment,  many  are  capable  of  considerable 
development  and  a  few  are  capable  of  almost 
limitless  development.  The  condition  of  all  devel¬ 
opment  is  exercise,  and  just  as  the  athlete  must 
undergo  prolonged  and  persevering  exercise 

39 


40 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


and  training  before  he  may  hope  to  attain  the 
goal  of  his  ambition,  even  so  must  he  who  thirsts 
for  soul-culture  or  psychic  development  pa¬ 
tiently  persevere  in  the  exercise  of  the  faculties 
he  wishes  to  increase  before  he  may  hope  to 
attain  any  marked  success.  Symmetrical  devel¬ 
opment  may  be  slow,  but  it  is  sure  to  those  who 
persevere. 

Many  have  asked,  “What  is  the  best  method 
to  use  in  psychic  development?”  It  is  safe  to 
say  there  is  no  best  method.  Methods  are 
numerous  and  varied;  indeed,  their  name  is 
legion;  every  country  and  every  cult  of  the 
country  have  their  methods.  Most  of  them  are 
more  or  less  mysterious  and  misunderstood,  not 
only  by  some  of  us,  but  by  most  of  those  who 
practiced  them.  Much  light  is  thrown  on  some 
of  these  methods  by  modern  investigators  of 
Psychic  Phenomena  and  Esotericism.  As  oc¬ 
casion  offers,  attention  will  be  called  to  the  oc¬ 
cult  aspect  of  these  methods.  It  will  be  impos¬ 
sible  to  even  name,  much  less  describe  and  ex¬ 
plain  all  of  them ;  only  a  few  of  the  more  promi¬ 
nent  will  be  mentioned,  and  these  because  of 
their  use  or  abuse.  In  every  case  it  is  neces¬ 
sary  for  the  person  who  wishes  to  develop  psy¬ 
chic  power  to  choose  a  method  suited  to  his 
condition  and  requirements.  A  person  who 


PSYCHIC  DEVELOPMENT. 


41 


would  become  a  Spirit  Medium  would  need  a 
different  method  from  the  one  who  wished  to 
develop  telepathic  powers,  or  the  one  who 
wished  to  become  a  Somnambulist.  This  will 
appear  more  clearly  as  we  proceed  with  our 
study  of  the  several  methods  to  be  considered 
immediately. 

The  ancient  methods  of  soul-culture  are  so 
similar  as  found  described  in  the  various  an¬ 
cient  religious  writings  that  they  may  be 
grouped  and  studied  at  the  same  time.  It  is 
surprising  to  those  who  have  not  made  a  study 
of  the  subject  to  note  how  much  the  religious 
rites  of  ancient  as  well  as  modern  times  depend 
upon  Psychic  Development.  This  is  significant, 
as  will  appear  as  we  proceed.  The  Brahmin 
Yogi,  the  Buddhist  Samana,  the  Egyptian  and 
Japanese  Priests  all  use  similar  methods  for 
their  development.  Specific  directions  are  found 
in  the  Vedas  and  other  sacred  books  for  the 
Yogi  to  follow,  by  which  he  may  become  an 
Adept.  In  the  Sixth  Chapter  of  the  Bhaga  vad 
Gita  the  following  directions  are  found: 

“Having  placed  in  a  clean  spot  one’s  seat, 
firm,  not  very  high  nor  very  low,  and  formed 
of  skins  of  animals  placed  upon  cloth,  and  Kuca 
grass  upon  that.  Sitting  on  that  seat,  strive 
for  meditation,  for  the  purification  of  the  heart, 


42  THE  psychic  and  psychism. 


making  the  mind  one  pointed,  and  reducing  to 
rest  the  action  of  the  thinking  principle  as  well 
as  that  of  the  senses  and  organs.  Hofding  the 
body,  neck  and  head  straight  and  unmoved,  per¬ 
fectly  determined,  and  as  if  beholding  the  end 
of  the  nose,  and  not  looking  in  any  direction, 
with  heart  in  supreme  peace,  devoid  of  fear, 
fixed  in  the  Brahmacharis  vow,  with  thought 
controlled  and  heart  in  me  as  the  supreme  goal, 
he  remains.  Thus  always  tranquilizing  the 
heart  in  the  Supreme,  the  sage,  with  thought 
controlled,  attains  the  supreme  rest  in  Nirvana 
that  is  my  essence.” 

The  Samana  follows  a  similar  course.  Those 
who  have  read  the  life  of  Buddha  will  recall  the 
manner  of  his  sitting  in  the  silence  under  the 
Bo  Tree  and  meditating.  Likewise  the  Egyp¬ 
tian  Priests  by  prolonged  meditation  and  trance 
experiences  attained  to  their  adeptship.  The 
Japanese  Priests,  both  Shinto  and  Buddhist, 
reach  a  similar  development  by  a  somewhat  dif¬ 
ferent  method.  However,  in  fact  they  are  not 
wide  apart.  They  have  schools  in  which  they 
teach  their  children  how  to  become  possessed 
by  the  gods,  incarnated,  and  a  large  part  of  the 
nation  are  able  to  thus  become  temporary  gods 
by  possession.  It  will  be  plainly  seen,  from 
what  has  been  said,  that  all  of  these  religious 


PSYCHIC  DEVELOPMENT. 


43 


Psychics  depend  upon  trance  conditions.  The 
end  of  their  developments,  by  whatever  method 
they  reach  it,  is  the  trance.  To  fall  into  the 
trance  at  will  and  in  that  condition  perform  their 
wonders  or  obtain  their  information  is  the  sum¬ 
mit  of  their  ambition. 

The  methods  of  the  ancients  has  served  for 
the  guidance  of  all  ages  that  have  followed. 
The  principle  is  always  the  same,  however  varied 
the  methods  may  be.  It  always  depends  upon 
the  control  of  the  mind.  This  is  not  always  a 
conscious  control  for  the  phenomena  of  Psy¬ 
chism  depends  upon  the  subliminal  powers 
which  are  usually  below  the  floor  of  ordinary 
consciousness.  Briefly  the  more  common  mod¬ 
ern  methods  of  Psychic  Development  will  now 
be  sketched. 

Sitting  in  the  silence  is  the  most  common, 
as  it  is  the  most  fruitful,  method  of  soul  devel¬ 
opment.  It  is  copied  after  the  ancient  Yogi 
method  described  in  the  quotation  above.  The 
character  of  the  sittings  is  considerably  varied, 
and  so  the  results  obtained  differ  widely.  With 
some  it  is  simply  a  silent  meditation  where  the 
mind  is  made  passive,  the  sensibilities  so  far  as 
is  possible  set  aside,  and  the  mind  made  recep¬ 
tive  to  thought  impressions.  By  patient  prac¬ 
tice  of  this  method  the  mind  becomes  increas- 


44 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


ingly  sensitive  to  thought  vibrations.  Some¬ 
times  the  impressions  received  are  visual,  that 
is  Clairvoyance  is  developed ;  at  other  times  they 
are  auditory,  that  is  Clairaudience  is  developed ; 
but  more  often  the  impressions  do  not  take  on 
the  form  of  visions  or  sounds,  but  are  simply 
thought  messages,  that  is  Thought  Transfer¬ 
ence  or  Telepathy  is  developed.  The  character 
of  the  development  is  influenced  by  the  desire 
of  the  sitter ;  this  is  especially  true  of  those  who 
fall  into  trances.  The  persons  sitting  to  develop 
mediumship  are  likely  to  obtain  phenomena 
peculiar  to  mediums,  such  as  hearing  voices  or 
seeing  thought  forms,  because  such  results  are 
expected. 

Those  sitting  in  the  silence  with  strained  at¬ 
tention  instead  of  passivity  of  mind  obtain  quite 
different  results.  Some  concentrate  their  atten¬ 
tion  upon  a  thought,  an  imaginary  point  in  space 
or  upon  the  end  of  the  nose,  with  the  result 
that  they  sooner  or  later  lose  consciousness 
and  fall  into  more  or  less  profound  tranced. 
These  are  autohypnotic  trances.  This  form  of 
sitting  in  the  silence  should  be  indulged  in  with 
extreme  caution,  for  it  endangers  the  sitter’s 
sanity.  Not  a  few  have  gone  from  these  sit¬ 
tings  to  asylums  for  the  insane.  When  com¬ 
bined  with  this  form  of  sitting  in  the  silence  the 


*!£ *«*■«<* 

""UlNU'l  Hfu 


PSYCHIC  DEVELOPMENT.  45 


person  reduces  his  physical  vigor  by  asceticism, 
the  danger  is  still  greater. 

The  power  of  silence  is  rarely  fully  appre¬ 
ciated.  However,  sitting  in  the  silence  with 
passive  receptive  mind  could  hardly  be  danger¬ 
ous.  There  is  a  society  whose  members  sit 
daily  in  the  silence  during  the  noon  hour.  They 
all  hold  the  same  thought  in  mind,  but  do  not 
concentrate  the  attention  upon  it  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  inducing  hypnosis  or  self-entrancement. 

Members  of  this  societv  have  assured  me  that 

* 

they  have  received  great  benefits  from  this  prac¬ 
tice. 

Another,  one  of  the  best  modes  of  sitting  in 
the  silence,  is  that  one  which  has  for  its  aim 
complete  self-control  and  receptivity.  The  sit¬ 
ter  having  gone  into  retirement  in  a  quiet  place, 
seats  himself  comfortably,  relaxes  himself  body 
and  mind  and  then  proceeds  as  follows :  Recall¬ 
ing  all  conscious  efforts  and  thoughts  by  an  ef¬ 
fort  of  will,  he  gathers  them  into  the  innermost 
recesses  of  his  mind  and  forces  them  to  rest.  He 
repeats  this  voluntary  recall  and  control  of  the 
activities  of  his  mind,  saying  mentally  to  him¬ 
self  as  he  does  so,  “will”  and  “still.”  As  he 
voluntarily  gathers  in  his  thoughts  he  says 
“will,”  and  as  he  quiets  them  he  says  “still.” 
After  continuing  this  for  a  little  while  his  mind 


LlBFMwv 


46 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


becomes  composed ;  then  he  discontinues  the 
effort  and  commands,  allowing  his  mind  to  re¬ 
main  quiet  and  receptive.  Patient  practice  of 
this  method  will  not  fail  of  good  results. 

A  word  of  caution  should  be  given  against 
any  method  that  renders  the  mind  incompetent 
to  judge  of  and  to  intelligently  accept  or  reject 
anything  that  comes  to  it  in  these  silent  sittings. 
Conditions  of  mind  varying  from  passive  in¬ 
activity  to  subliminal  states  are  included  in  this 
caution.  It  is  possible  for  one  to  develop  a 
receptivity  of  mind  in  which  none  of  the  facul¬ 
ties  that  guard  the  integrity  of  the  character  is 
off  duty,  but  this  is  not  a  state  of  partial  or 
complete  subconsciousness.  The  reason  for 
this  caution  is  that  persons  in  the  state  of  mind 
described  are  liable  to  be  influenced  by  all  sorts 
of  thoughts  intentional  or  unintentional  from 
persons  present  or  absent. 

The  breathing  exercises  furnish  another 
method  for  psychic  control  of  no  small  impor¬ 
tance.  There  are  a  considerable  number  of 
these  exercises  scattered  through  the  literature 
on  this  subject,  but  they  consist  of  modifications 
of  three  principal  exercises.  These  three  exer¬ 
cises  only  need  be  mentioned  in  this  connection. 

The  first  exercise  consists  of  a  simple  rhyth- 


PSYCHIC  DEVELOPMENT.  47 


mical  breathing  in  which  the  inspiration  is  deep 
and  the  expiration  is  somewhat  prolonged.  Be¬ 
ginning  with  inspiration  four  seconds  and  ex¬ 
piration  eight  seconds,  and  then  very  gradually 
lengthening  the  time.  This  exercise  will  soon 
lower  the  number  of  respirations  per  minute 
and  give  a  better  tone  to  the  whole  organism, 
and  should  be  practiced  under  the  same  favor¬ 
able  conditions  that  are  observed  for  silent  sit¬ 
tings.  In  the  East  those  who  practice  these  ex¬ 
ercises  usually  repeat  some  sacred  word,  as 
Aum,  which  gives  them  a  religious  character. 

The  second  exercise  consists  of  a  similar  deep 
respiration  in  the  midst  of  which  there  is  a  re¬ 
tention  of  the  breath.  A  deep  inspiration  is 
followed  by  a  retention  of  the  breath  before  the 
prolonged  expiration.  The  rhythm  should  be  as 
follows :  Inspiration  four  seconds,  retention  of 
the  breath  sixteen  seconds,  expiration  eight  sec¬ 
onds  ;  the  time  to  be  very  slowly  extended  as  in 
the  first  exercise.  This  exercise  is  very  stimu¬ 
lating  and  must  be  practiced  with  caution,  as 
soon  as  a  slight  dizziness  is  felt  it  should  be 
discontinued  for  the  time  being. 

The  third  exercise  consists  of  a  respiratory 
rhythm  similar  to  the  second,  with  the  differ¬ 
ence  that  the  breath  is  held  out  instead  of  in. 
The  deep  inspiration  is  followed  by  a  prolonged 


48 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


expiration,  after  which  the  air  is  held  out  of 
the  lungs.  The  rhythm  should  be  inspiration 
four  seconds,  expiration  eight  seconds,  exclu¬ 
sion  of  air  sixteen  seconds.  This  last  exercise 
is  found  to  be  the  most  difficult  for  Westerners, 
and  should  be  practiced  with  extreme  caution, 
as  the  exclusion  of  the  air  from  the  lungs  favors 
the  accumulation  of  carbonic  acid  gas  in  the 
blood.  A  slight  dizziness  should  be  taken  as  a 
warning  that  the  exercise  has  been  continued 
long  enough.  Some  practice  these  exercises 
with  a  nasal  modification,  controlling  the  nostrils 
with  the  thumb  and  forefinger,  inspiring  through 
the  left  nostril,  with  the  right  one  closed,  keep¬ 
ing  both  closed  during  the  rest  and  expiring 
through  the  right  nostril.  However,  no  advan¬ 
tage  is  obtained  in  the  use  of  this  modification. 

The  Hindus  from  whom  these  exercises  have 
come  have  furnished  a  fanciful  explanation  of 
their  modus  operandi,  but  their  explanation 
would  be  out  of  place  here.  Let  it  suffice  to  say 
that  the  exercises  are  very  stimulating  and  en¬ 
able  the  practicers  to  perform  many  wonderful 
feats.  They  develop  a  muscular  and  psychic 
control  difficult  to  obtain  in  any  other  manner 

It  will  be  observed  that  these  breathing  exer¬ 
cises  primarily  influence  the  muscular  control, 
but  at  the  same  time  they  develop  an  electro- 


PSYCHIC  DEVELOPMENT. 


49 


vital  force  which  may  be  directed  to  any  part 
or  even  outside  of  the  body.  If  while  exercis¬ 
ing  one  directs  the  attention  to  any  one  part 
of  the  body,  that  part  almost  immediately  is 
filled  with  warmth  and  vital  force.  This  ob¬ 
servation  will  be  followed  by  the  knowledge 
that  not  only  physical  but  mental  control 
may  be  obtained  especially  by  the  third  exercise. 
The  practice  in  order  to  be  thoroughly  effica¬ 
cious  should  be  continued  for  a  number  of 
months,  but  even  a  brief  practice  will  not  be 
barren  of  results. 

The  extreme  potency  of  the  breathing  exer¬ 
cises  is  shown  most  plainly  in  the  Yogis,  who 
are  able  to  simulate  death.  Authentic  cases  are 
on  record  in  which  Yogis  were  able  to  be  buried 
for  weeks  and  even  months  and  afterwards  be 
resuscitated.  These  cases,  if  they  do  no  more, 
plainly  illustrate  the  almost  unlimited  control 
that  may  be  had  over  the  bodily  and  mental 
functions. 

Before  leaving  this  subject  let  me  repeat  my 
warning  not  to  practice  these  exercises  too  often 
or  too  long;  twice  a  day  is  often  enough.  The 
morning  and  evening  hours,  before  eating  and 
before  bedtime,  are  preferable.  A  very  few 
minutes  at  first  will  be  long  enough ;  the  time 
may  be  gradually  increased,  but  even  a  slight 


50 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM^. 


dizziness  will  be  an  indication  that  the  practice 
has  continued  long  enough. 

Suggestion  furnishes  a  means  for  soul-culture 
of  considerable  importance  to  the  Psychic.  In¬ 
deed,  Autosuggestion  enters  more  or  less  prom¬ 
inently  into  all  of  the  methods  mentioned,  but 
Hypno-Suggestion  is  referred  to  here.  Only  a 
brief  reference  to  suggestion  may  be  made  in 
this  connection,  but  a  fuller  discussion  will  ap¬ 
pear  in  another  chapter. 

Hypnotized  subjects  not  infrequently  exhibit 
pronounced  psychic  powers.  In  cases  hypno¬ 
tized  for  therapeutic  purposes  not  a  few  in¬ 
stances  have  been  noted  where  the  patient  ex¬ 
hibited  supernormal  powers  of  perception. 
Telepathy,  Clairvoyance,  Clairaudience  and 
Psychometry  have  all  been  manifested.  Two 
methods  have  been  used  to  develop  these  facul¬ 
ties — i.  Direct  Suggestion  during  hypnosis, 
and  2.  Posthypnotic  Suggestion. 

The  direct  suggestion  that  the  subject  is  able 
to  see  or  hear  or  know  things  occurring  at  a 
distance  is  accepted,  with  the  result  that  a  re¬ 
port  is  soon  forthcoming  from  the  subject.  The 
report  may  be  a  true  account  of  the  occurrences 
or  it  may  be  simply  a  fabrication  with  no  basis 
in  truth.  If  the  subject  is  able  to  get  the  in¬ 
formation  he  will  do  so  and  report  it  correctly; 


PSYCHIC  DEVELOPMENT. 


51 


if  not,  he  will  draw  upon  his  imagination  for  his 
report.  Any  phenomena  produced  through 
hypnotized  subjects  should  be  carefully  verified 
before  accepting  them  as  genuine  for  the  rea¬ 
son  just  mentioned.  It  is  my  experience  that 
many  undoubted  phenomena  may  be  obtained, 
but  not  a  few  will  be  the  result  of  pure  imag¬ 
ination.  Subjects  dominated  by  the  suggestion 
that  they  can  obtain  the  information  desired 
will  report  to  the  best  of  their  ability — true  if 
possible,  false  if  necessary.  This  is  a  common 
phenomenon  in  hypnosis. 

Posthypnotic  Suggestion  operates  in  quite  a 
different  way.  Suggestions  are  given  to  a  hyp¬ 
notized  subject  to  the  effect  that  he  will  be  able 
to  develop  psychic  powers,  that  he  will  be  able 
to  control  his  mind  in  such  a  way  that  he  will 
be  able  to  disregard  ordinary  sense  perceptions 
and  obtain  knowledge  by  immediate  perception 
or  intuition.  These  suggestions  have  a  post¬ 
hypnotic  effect,  enabling  the  subject  to  speedily 
acquire  psychic  control.  They  act  by  inspiring 
confidence  in  the  person’s  mind  and  stimulating 
effort  and  practice.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
much  of  the  psychic  power  depends  upon  the 
expectant  attention.  He  that  hath  ears  to  hear 
may  hear,  he  that  hath  eyes  to  see  may  see,  he 
that  hath  a  mind  to  understand  may  know — for 
we  hear  and  see  and  know  with  the  mind. 


52 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


The  influence  of  autosuggestion  is  well  shown 
in  the  incarnation  trances  of  the  Japanese.  A 
large  proportion  of  that  people,  both  male  and 
female,  practice  what  is  known  as  the  posses¬ 
sion  trance.  On  various  occasions  and  for 
many  purposes  they  become  possessed  of  one 
or  other  of  their  gods.  The  divine  possession, 
upon  careful  investigation,  proves  to  be  none 
other  than  an  autohypnosis,  in  which  a  sugges¬ 
tion  has  been  given  that  the  hypnotee  has  be¬ 
come  the  dwelling  and  mouthpiece  of  a  god. 
The  practice  of  autohypnotization  is  begun  in 
childhood  and  continued  through  adult  life. 
Schools  for  this  purpose  are  conducted  under 
the  direction  of  the  priests,  in  which  the  children 
perform  all  sorts  of  antics.  A  boy  will  be  called 
out  of  a  class  by  the  priest  and  he  will  seat  him¬ 
self  upon  a  little  mat,  and  closing  his  eyes  will 
proceed  to  fall  into  a  state  of  autohypnosis.  At 
this  point  a  wand  is  placed  into  his  hand, 
through  which  the  god  comes  to  take  possession 
of  his  body.  The  arrival  of  the  god  is  an¬ 
nounced  by  a  shaking  of  the  wand,  followed 
by  a  more  or  less  convulsive  spasm  of  the  body. 
The  boy  is  now  possessed,  and  immediately  acts 
like  one  possessed.  He  springs  to  his  feet, 
throws  the  wand  violently  away  and  proceeds 
to  perform  all  manner  of  acrobatic  feats, 


PSYCHIC  DEVELOPMENT. 


53 


What  is  true  of  the  child  is  true  of  the  adult 
the  god  incarnates  in  him  in  just  the  same  way, 
except  that  a  little  more  decorum  is  preserved. 
When  the  god  has  arrived  he  may  be  consulted 
by  the  proper  person,  and  he  will  speak  his  an¬ 
swers  with  the  lips  of  the  possessed.  It  is  plain 
without  an  extended  discussion  or  explanation 
that  the  divinity  in  these  cases  is  none  other 
than  the  subliminal  self.  It  would  be  interest¬ 
ing  to  give  more  details,  but  space  will  not  per¬ 
mit. 

The  ascetic  austerities  practiced  in  connection 
with  the  various  methods  of  psychic  develop¬ 
ments  are  well  known,  but  their  importance  de¬ 
serves  a  brief  discussion.  Most  of  the  ancient 
directions  for  soul-culture  insist  upon  the  ob¬ 
servance  of  these  austerities.  All  meats  were 
eliminated,  and  the  diet  limited  to  one  of  the 
plainest  and  simplest  sort,  and  in  many  cases 
the  renunciation  of  all  society  and  the  adoption 
of  a  solitary  life  were  insisted  upon.  These  re¬ 
quirements  were  doubtless  based  upon  the 
knowledge  that  some  sorts  of  psychic  phenom¬ 
ena  were  more  easily  developed  when  the  phys¬ 
ical  man  was  reduced  to  a  low  state  of  vitality. 
Doubtless  weak,  hungry  persons  can  more  read¬ 
ily  fall  into  trances  and  see  visions  and  dream 
dreams,  but  the  reliabilities  of  these  visions  and 
dreams  is  not  so  certain, 


54 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


Perhaps  no  better  example  of  theso  ascetic 
austerities  can  be  given  than  the  present  prac¬ 
tice  of  the  Japanese  aspirants  after  divine  asso¬ 
ciations.  They  almost  starve  themselves  and 
indulge  in  innumerable  washings.  An  adult 
man’s  diet  consists  of  water  and  a  small  bowl 
of  rice  once  daily.  Plis  washings  are  more  gen¬ 
erous  ;  these  are  taken  when  convenient  in  the 
open  air  under  a  natural  waterfall,  summer  and 
winter  alike.  At  sunrise  he  bathes,  in  mid¬ 
forenoon  he  bathes,  at  noon  he  bathes,  in  mid¬ 
afternoon  he  bathes,  at  sunset  he  bathes,  before 
retiring  he  bathes,  and  at  the  ghastly  hour  of 
two  in  the  morning  he  gets  up  from  his  warm 
bed  and  bathes.  Where  possible,  these  ablu¬ 
tions  are  taken  in  natural  water  courses  or  under 
waterfalls,  through  all  the  seasons  of  the  year. 
His  diet  and  ablutions  in  due  time  reduce  him 
to  the  proper  state  of  spirituality,  but  he  con¬ 
tinues  them  far  longer  than  a  Westerner  would 
dare  to  follow  him.  Thus  he  becomes  a  “holy 
man”  worthy  and  able  to  become  possessed  of 
the  gods.  Any  method  which  demands  such 
practices,  or  similar  austerities,  should  be 
shunned,  for  any  psychic  power  that  may  not  be 
developed  by  men  and  women  in  a  normal  state 
of  health  would  better  be  left  undeveloped. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  review  many  other 


PSYCHIC  DEVELOPMENT.  55 


methods  used  for  psychic  development,  but 
space  forbids.  It  is  plain  from  the  methods 
mentioned  above  that  the  road  the  Psychic  must 
travel  to  reach  the  goal  of  his  high  aim  is  not 
strewn  with  roses.  It  is  a  serious  undertaking 
and  he  who  would  become  a  Psychic  worthy  of 
the  name  must  attain  this  end  by  patient,  per¬ 
severing  practice.  A  Yogi  makes  it  a  business 
of  a  lifetime.  He  leaves  all  distracting  influ¬ 
ences  behind.  Home,  relatives,  friends  and 
worldly  cares  are  forever  forsaken.  His  wants 
are  reduced  to  a  minimum — a  cheap  linen  gar¬ 
ment,  a  few  handfulls  of  rice  and  a  supply  of 
water  suffice  for  his  needs.  His  home  is  an 
arbor  in  a  jungle  or  a  cave  in  the  mountains, 
where  removed  beyond  the  disturbing  voices  of 
his  fellowmen  he  meditates  and  waits  for  the 
marvelous  power  that  sooner  or  later  comes  to 
him.  What  he  develops  and  obtains  of  power 
and  wisdom  exists  for  all  who  are  willing  to 
pay  the  cost  in  self-sacrifice  and  practice.  All 
have  more  or  less  psychic  power,  and  a  tittle  use 
will  increase  it. 

In  many  instances  all  that  is  necessary  to  an 
appreciation  and  understanding  of  psychic  phe¬ 
nomena  produced  by  others  is  a  little  experience 
of  our  own.  It  is  not  possible  or  expedient  for 
all  to  make  a  special  development  of  their  psy- 


56 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


chic  forces,  but  it  is  necessary  and  expedient 
for  all  to  have  a  competent  knowledge  of  the 
subject,  and  we  may  have  one  if  we  will  use  our 
perceptive  faculties.  In  the  succeeding  chap¬ 
ters  we  will  endeavor  to  substantiate  this  state¬ 
ment.  Let  us  first  turn  our  attention  to  Sug¬ 
gestion. 


i 


-v 


CHAPTER  IV. 


SUGGESTION. 

Ideas  are  contagious — Suggestibility  constitutional — 
Two  laws  of  mind — Suggestion  defined — Sugges¬ 
tion  in  the  waking  state — The  idea  of  free  will 
must  be  modified — The  power  of  Suggestion — The 
school  boy — The  student  of  music — Suggestion  as  a 
cure — A  case — Hypno-Suggestion — Hypnotism  de¬ 
fined — Hypnotic  versus  waking  Suggestion — Hyp¬ 
notism  as  a  Cure — Illustrative  cases — Suggestion  in 
Psychiatry — Autosuggestion — The  manner  of  self- 
suggestion — Its  value — A  living  monument  of  Auto¬ 
suggestion — Illustrative  cases — The  limitation  of 
Autosuggestions — Suggestion  in  subconscious  con¬ 
ditions — The  cases  selected  for  illustration. 

Suggestion  as  we  understand  it  today  depends 
upon  the  fact  that  ideas  are  contagious.  All 
persons  are  suggestible  because  they  are  liable 
to  be  infected  by  ideas  propagated  by  other  peo¬ 
ple.  There  are  no  ideas  so  foolish  or  fanciful 
that  they  will  not  be  accepted  by  some  if  they  are 
powerfully  and  persistently  proclaimed;  witness 
the  hair-brained  schemes  hatched  and  pro¬ 
claimed  by  fanatical  persons  that  are  accepted 

57 


58  the  psychic  and  psychism. 


and  fostered  by  practical  business  men  who  sink 
large  sums  of  money  in  them.  There  are  gold- 
bricks  for  the  unwary  farmer  and  gold-makers 
for  the  wary  millionaire.  There  is  no  inind  that 
is  proof  against  infectious  ideas  if  only  it  be 
exposed  to  the  right  kind. 

Suggestibility  depends  upon  the  constitution 
of  the  mind.  There  are  two  conditions  or  pecu¬ 
liarities  of  mind  so  common  that  they  might  be 
considered  laws  of  the  mind.  i.  Credulity  or 
the  disposition  to  believe  things  that  have  not  or 
cannot  be  proven.  2.  The  tendency  of  the  thing 
the  mind  expects  to  occur  whether  it  be  psycho¬ 
logic  or  physiologic  in  character.  It  will  be 
necessary  to  briefly  illustrate  these  two  condi¬ 
tions.  That  people  believe  what  has  not  been 
proven  to  them  is  not  only  true  but  necessary. 
Little  progress  could  be  made  in  any  social  or 
business  relation  if  it  was  necessary  to  stop  and 
prove  every  step.  Men  accept  their  religious 
faiths  ready  made  upon  the  testimony  of 
others.  Faith  is  the  back-bone  of  all  business 
enterprises.  All  sciences  are  built  upon  hypo¬ 
thetical  theories  and  beliefs.  Happy  is  the  man 
who  early  learns  to  say  with  one  of  old,  “I  be¬ 
lieve,  help  Thou  mine  unbelief.”  Credulity  is 
the  condition  of  expectation,  if  we  believe  we  ex¬ 
pect  certain  things  to  follow  and  this  expectation 


SUGGESTION. 


59 


works  itself  out  in  the  development  of  the  thing 
expected  in  body  or  mind.  We  expect  certain 
food  to  make  us  ill  and  it  does  so ;  we  expect  cer¬ 
tain  conditions  to  cause  an  headache  and  they 
do,  we  expect  certain  remedies  or  treatments  to 
cure  us  and  they  do.  All  have  witnessed  or  have 
heard  of  the  experiments  made  upon  perfectly 
well  persons  which  illustrates  both  of  these  laws 
of  mind,  namely,  the  concerted  action  of  several 
persons  who  tell  an  unsuspecting  acquaintance 
successively  at  brief  intervals,  that  he  is  looking 
badly,  that  he  must  feel  ill,  that  he  certainly 
must  be  sick,  and  so  on,  with  the  effect  that  he 
speedily  becomes  ill.  They  make  him  believe  he 
is  ill  and  believing  that  he  is  ill  he  expects  to  feel 
so  and  shortly  does.  This  will  suffice  to  show 
what  is  meant  by  the  two  conditions  of  mind  un¬ 
derlying  suggestibility. 

Suggestion,  it  is  plain  from  what  has  been 
said,  includes  more  than  used  to  be  understood 
by  that  term.  Suggestion  was  formerly  used  to 
mean  the  offering  of  an  idea  to  the  mind  with¬ 
out  any  condition  of  acceptance,  but  it  is  used 
here  to  mean  the  offering  of  an  idea  to  the  mind 
in  such  a  way  that  the  mind  will  accept  it.  The 
offer  and  the  acceptance  are  complementary  in 
filling  out  the  idea.  These  general  considera¬ 
tions  lead  up  to  a  more  detailed  discussion  of 


60 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


the  subject  which  will  be  continued  under  three 
divisions  for  the  sake  of  plainness  and  brevity, 
i.  Suggestion  in  the  waking  state.  2.  Hypno- 
suggestion.  3.  Autosuggestion. 

SUGGESTION  IN  THE  WAKING  STATE. 

Suggestion  is  one  of  the  most  important  fac¬ 
tors  in  Psychology  and  aids  in  the  solution  of 
many  of  the  more  mysterious  and  heretofore  in¬ 
scrutable  phenomena  of  Psychism.  The  sus¬ 
ceptibility  of  Psychics  to  Suggestion  is  phe¬ 
nomenal;  the  slightest  hint  often  unintention¬ 
ally  given  will  serve  to  give  direction  to  the 
whole  experiment.  A  failure  to  observe  this 
has  misled  many  investigators.  Therefore,  it 
would  be  almost  impossible  to  overestimate  or 
unduly  emphasize  its  importance  in  Psychism. 

The  idea  of  free  will  must  be  modified  or  given 
up,  for  it  is  little  more  than  a  name.  What  one 
does  of  his  own  free  will  depends  largely  upon 
circumstances  and  environment.  What  he  thinks 
he  does  of  his  own  volition  is  usually  due  to  the 
influence  or  more  properly  the  Suggestions  of 
others.  A  boy  or  a  man  thrown  among  evil 
'companions  becomes  like  them  not  of  his  own 
free  will,  but  of  necessity.  To  be  sure,  he  had 
an  opportunity  to  choose  between  right  and 
wrong  and  we  condemn  him  because  he  chose 
the  wrong.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  at  the  time  that 


SUGGESTION. 


61 


he  made  the  choice  it  was  morally  impossible 
for  him  to  choose  other  than  he  did,  the  only 
time  that  he  could  have  chosen  otherwise  was 
before  the  evil  Suggestions  had  found  lodgment 
in  his  mind.  It  is  and  will  ever  remain  true  that 
evil  associates  corrupt  good  morals.  When  a 
beautiful  young  woman  goes  wrong  and  drags  a 
once  honored  name  through  the  mire,  the  prob¬ 
abilities  are  that  she  did  not  act  upon  her  own 
volition,  and  a  more  or  less  careful  inquiry  would 
reveal  the  fact  that  some  subtle  influence  or  Sug¬ 
gestions  had  been  insinuated  into  her  mind  be¬ 
fore  it  was  possible  for  her  to  act  so.  The  Sug¬ 
gestion  might  have  come  from  a  trusted  friend 
or  associate,  or  from  some  corrupting  book,  but 
no  matter  whence  they  came,  they  were  con¬ 
tagious  and  being  susceptible  she  succumbed  to 
their  infection.  Do  not  say  the  taint  was  in  her 
blood ;  that  would  be  absurd.  The  case  is  alto¬ 
gether  analogous  to  a  contagious  disease.  No 
matter  what  the  condition  of  the  person,  if  the 
inoculation  is  sufficiently  large  she  will  certainly 
succumb  to  the  disease. 

An  appreciation  of  the  subtle  and  far-reaching 
powrer  of  Suggestion  for  both  good  and  evil  en¬ 
courages  us  to  make  use  of  it  for  educational 
and  curative  purposes. 

Its  use  in  education  is  great,  so  great  that  the 


62 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


successful  teacher  is  the  one  who  consciously  or 
unconsciously  applies  it.  A  few  examples  will 
serve  to  explain  what  is  meant. 

A  young  lady  teacher,  an  acquaintance  of 
mine,  told  me  of  one  of  her  pupils  who  was 
unable  to  learn  mathematics. 

“When  I  chided  him,”  she  said,  “for  doing 
such  poor  work  he  vehemently  protested  that  he 
could  not  learn  numbers.” 

“  ‘I  cannot  learn  numbers,’  he  said,  ‘and  there 
is  no  use  trying.  My  grandmother  was  unable 
to  learn  mathematics  and  I  have  inherited  my 
inability  from  her.” 

“Now,  what  can  be  done  in  such  a  case?”  the 
teacher  asks. 

The  case  illustrates  the  susceptibility  of  chil¬ 
dren  to  Suggestions  and  was  explained  some¬ 
what  as  follows:  The  boy  had  heard  of  his 
grandmother’s  deficiency  and  when  he  found 
mathematics  difficult  was  lead  by  his  parents, 
who  believed  in  the  orthodox  theory  of  heredity, 
to  believe  he  had  inherited  that  trait  from  her. 
He  believed  he  was  unable  to  learn  numbers  and 
his  expectation  was  fulfilled.  The  teacher  was 
advised  to  give  the  boy  direct  Suggestions  to 
counteract  those  unintentionally  given.  He  was 
told  that  his  grandmother  had  nothing  to  do 
with  his  learning  numbers  any  more  than  she 


SUGGESTION.  63 


had  with  a  thousand  other  things  he  had 
learned  readily  enough.  For  example,  she  could 
not  learn  to  swim,  but  he  did;  she  could  not 
skate  but  he  could ;  she  could  not  play  marbles 
but  he  could ;  she  could  not  turn  a  handspring  or 
walk  on  her  hands,  but  he  could,  and  she  could 
not  whistle,  but  he  could.  These  and  similar 
Suggestions  were  given  for  several  weeks  to¬ 
gether  with  positive  Suggestions  to  the  effect 
that  he  could  learn  numbers  and  would  learn  to 
like  them  and  excel  in  that  branch  of  study.  The 
result  was  as  expected,  the  intentional  Sugges¬ 
tions  overcame  the  unintentional  ones  and  the 
boy  was  soon  making  good  progress  in  mathe¬ 
matics,  and  had  no  further  trouble  in  that  di¬ 
rection. 

The  application  in  the  study  of  music  is  often 
most  helpful.  I  recall  the  case  of  a  young  girl 
twelve  years  of  age  who  had  in  some  way  ac¬ 
quired  a  dislike  for  her  work  in  music ;  this  dis¬ 
like  grew  until  her  practice  became  a  hardship. 
Her  mother  having  heard  of  Suggestion  and  be¬ 
lieving  in  its  efficacy,  brought  the  child  to  me  to 
see  if  anything  could  be  done  for  her.  She  was 
a  bright,  winsome  girl  and  inclined  to  be  friendly, 
so  we  soon  became  fast  friends  and  she  told  me 
of  her  difficulty  with  music.  I  assured  her  that 
I  could  and  would  help  her.  I  seated  her  in  an 


64 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


easy  chair  and  told  her  to  close  her  eyes  and  lis¬ 
ten  while  I  talked  to  her.  Then  I  made  Sug¬ 
gestions  to  the  effect  that  music  was  beautiful 
and  a  most  interesting  study,  that  she  did  not 
really  dislike  it  but  had  become  prejudiced 
against  it ;  that  she  would  think  the  matter  over 
for  herself  and  find  that  she  had  been  mistaken; 
that  she  would  learn  to  love  music  and  be  fond 
of  studying  it  and  that  her  whole  difficulty  with 
music  would  soon  disappear.  Such  Suggestions 
were  repeated  every  other  day  for  two  weeks 
with  the  most  satisfactory  results. 

“Doctor,  you  have  taught  me  to  love  music 
and  I  rather  enjoy  my  practicing  now,  thanks  to 
your  help,”  the  little  lady  said  to  me  a  few 
weeks  later. 

Many  more  examples  of  the  successful  use  of 
Suggestion  in  education  might  be  given  if  space 
permitted.  It  is  most  helpful  as  a  means  of 
developing  backward  children. 

As  a  therapeutic  agent  Suggestion  has  no  su¬ 
perior,  but  only  a  single  example  may  be  given. 
Observation  teaches  that  many  drugs  depend 
upon  the  Suggestion  accompanying  the  adminis¬ 
tration  for  their  remedial  effects.  Attention  has 
been  called  to  the  fact  that  persons  may  be  made 
ill  by  intentional  Suggestion  and  it  might  have 
been  added  that  they  are  often  made  so  by  unin- 


SUGGESTION. 


65 


tentional  Suggestions  ;  it  is  equally  true  that  per¬ 
sons  who  are  ill  may  be  speedily  cured  by  Sug¬ 
gestions.  When  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  a  large 
proportion  of  the  sickness  suffered  by  man  is 
due  to  nervous  shocks  or  other  psychic  causes 
it  will  not  be  so  surprising  that  an  equal  propor¬ 
tion  of  man’s  maladies  may  be  relieved  through 
the  influence  of  the  mind.  Out  of  a  great  many 
cases  observed  let  me  cite  one. 

A  young  man,  a  jeweler  by  trade,  came  to  me 
for  relief  from  an  aggravated  condition  of  self- 
consciousness.  For  several  years  this  condition 
had  grown  upon  him  until  he  was  unable  to  go 
into  society  without  experiencing  the  utmost 
confusion  and  embarrassment ;  he  could  only 
stammer,  blush  and  perspire  when  any  one  ad¬ 
dressed  him  or  he  attempted  to  address  any  one. 
He  was  assured  that  he  could  be  relieved  and 
that  speedily.  He  was  seated  in  an  easy  chair 
and  instructed  to  allow  himself  to  sink  into  a 
restful  passive  condition  with  eyes  closed.  This 
he  did,  and  while  in  this  receptive  state  Sugges¬ 
tions  were  given  to  him  to  the  effect  that  his 
trouble  was  only  a  habit  which  could  be  easily 
broken,  that  he  had  a  strong  mind  and  would 
assert  it  in  the  matter,  that  he  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  break  the  habit  and  would  readily  suc¬ 
ceed,  that  he  would  gain  a  perfect  self-control 


66 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


and  self-possession,  that  he  would  feel  perfectly 
at  ease  in  company  and  have  no  difficulty  in  car¬ 
rying  on  a  conversation  with  any  one,  and  that 
he  would  go  into  society  to  prove  these  things. 
These  and  similar  Suggestions  were  repeated  to 
him  several  times  at  intervals  of  two  or  three 
days.  In  about  two  weeks  the  young  man  was 
entirely  relieved  of  his  uncomfortable  condition. 

HYPNO-SUGGESTION. 

Hypno-Suggestion  includes  all  of  the  Sugges¬ 
tions  given  to  persons  while  in  a  state  of  hyp¬ 
nosis,  or  hypnotic  trance.  This  is  by  far  the 
most  important  branch  of  Suggestion.  In  order 
to  understand  it  thoroughly  a  knowledge  of  Hyp¬ 
notism  is  necessary.  Hypnotism  is  the  means 
of  inducing  an  artificial  state  of  mind  in  which 
persons  are  readily  susceptible  to  Suggestions. 
It  has  been  said  that  all  persons  are  susceptible 
to  Suggestions  but  by  Hypnotism  the  suggest- 
ability  is  increased.  The  methods  of  hypnotizing 
are  various,  but  they  all  depend  for  their  efficacy 
upon  the  direction  of  the  psychic  forces  of  the 
subject,  in  short,  they  depend  upon  the  same 
factors  as  Suggestion  and  Hypnotism  is  properly 
simply  a  branch  of  that  subject.  A  person  who 
is  led  to  believe  that  he  can  be  hypnotized  and 
that  he  is  about  to  be  hypnotized  will  respond  to 
almost  any  method  and  promptly  fall  into  a  state 


SUGGESTION. 


67 


of  hypnosis.  In  this  state  of  induced  somnam¬ 
bulism  he  becomes  more  or  less  suggestable  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  depth  of  the  trance. 

It  would  be  interesting  and  instructive  to  give 
a  detailed  account  of  the  methods  of  inducing 
hypnosis  and  a  full  description  of  the  phenomena 
of  that  state,  but  space  will  not  permit  it  in  the 
present  writing.  The  reader  is  referred  to  the 
writer’s  work  entitled  Mind  and  Body,  where 
a  detailed  account  is  given  of  Hypno-Sugges- 
tion. 

Hypno-Suggestions  do  not  differ  in  kind  from 
Suggestions  given  in  the  waking  state,  but  they 
do  differ  most  profoundly  in  degree.  Some 
teachers  and  schools  hold  and  teach  that  waking 
Suggestions  are  all  that  are  worthy  of  serious 
consideration,  but  these  teachers  and  schools 
are  undoubtedly  wrong.  As  well  might  one 
say  that  the  vest-pocket  pistols  were  the  only 
fire-arms  worthy  of  consideration,  leaving  out 
.of  account  the  Maxim,  Krupp  and  other  power¬ 
ful  guns.  What  may  be  and  often  is  done  by 
oft  repeated  and  long  continued  Suggestions  in 
the  waking  state  may  be  done  speedily  bv  a  sin¬ 
gle  Suggestion  given  in  profound  hypnosis.  All 
patients  are  not  susceptible  to  the  deeper  states  of 
hypnosis.  It  is  necessary  to  adapt  the  treatment 
to  the  conditions  found  in  individual  cases,  giv- 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


68 


ing  the  Suggestions  in  the  lighter  states  of  hyp¬ 
nosis  or  in  the  waking  state  as  may  be  needful. 
The  matter  of  giving  the  Suggestion  does  not 
materially  differ  but  the  Suggestions  must  be 
repeated  more  or  less  persistently  according  to 
the  degree  of  susceptibility.  A  few  examples 
will  suffice  to  illustrate  our  contention. 

A  young  lady  stenographer  came  to  me  not 
long  ago  complaining  that  she  was  not  able  to 
attain  the  requisite  speed  in  taking  notes.  When 
her  speed  was  all  right  her  notes  were  not  plainly 
legible,  and  she  found  it  difficult  to  transcribe 
them. 

“Can  you  help  me,  Doctor  ?”  she  asked.  “I 
understand  that  you  can  do  almost  any  marvel 
by  Suggestion.” 

“It  will  do  no  harm  to  try  what  we  can  do 
by  the  aid  of  Suggestion,”  was  the  reply. 

The  young  lady  was  hypnotized  and  passed 
into  a  profound  state  of  hypnosis.  Suggestions 
were  given  to  her  while  in  this  receptive  condi¬ 
tion  to  the  effect  that  she  had  as  nimble  fingers 
as  any  one  and  could  take  notes  just  as  rapidly, 
that  with  a  little  practice  her  speed  might  be 
greatly  accelerated,  that  she  would  write  her 
notes  plainly  and  legibly  and  that  she  would  be 
able  to  readily  transcribe  them.  These  Sugges¬ 
tions  were  accepted  and  so  stimulated  her  mind 


r. 


SUGGESTION. 


69 


that  she  greatly  increased  her  speed  and  wrote 
her  notes  more  rapidly  and  more  distinctly.  In 
a  couple  of  weeks  after  aiding  her  with  the  speed 
she  was  similarly  aided  in  her  ability  to  concen¬ 
trate  her  attention  in  transcribing  her  notes. 
There  was  much  noise  and  confusion  in  the  of¬ 
fice  where  she  was  employed  which  tended  to 
distract  her  attention  from  her  work.  A  couple 
of  Suggestions  sufficed  to  enable  her  to  disre¬ 
gard  the  confusion  and  attend  to  her  duties  and 
she  has  had  no  further  trouble  in  taking  notes 
or  transcribing  them. 

A  few  weeks  ago  a  lady  came  to  me  saying 
that  she  had  been  advised  by  a  mutual  friend  to 
come  and  be  relieved  from  an  annoying  drug 
habit.  Some  years  before  she  had  been  ill  and 
during  that  illness  fell  into,  a  condition  of  in¬ 
somnia  and  at  the  advice  of  her  physician  had  re¬ 
sorted  to  the  use  of  hypnotic  drugs.  Now  for 
more  than  three  years  she  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  taking  such  drugs  every  night.  She  could 
not  sleep  without  them.  Her  general  health  was 
good  and  she  was  assured  that  she  could  be 
speedily  and  permanently  relieved  from  her  drug 
habit. 

The  lady  when  hypnotized  fell  into  a  profound 
hypnotic  trance.  While  in  this  condition  Sug¬ 
gestions  were  given  to  her  to  the  effect  that  her 


70 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


health  was  good  and  natural  sleep  would  be  re¬ 
stored,  that  she  had  a  strong  mind  and  had  re¬ 
solved  to  take  no  more  sleeping  potions,  that 
she  would  expect  to  go  to  sleep  at  night  when 
she  went  to  bed  and  would  readily  do  so ;  that 
she  would  sleep  soundly  all  night  and  wake  up 
refreshed  in  the  morning,  and  that  she  would 
have  no  more  difficulty  in  sleeping.  During  the 
night  after  the  first  treatment  she  slept  soundly 
and  naturally  without  the  aid  of  any  drug  and 
was  delighted  with  the  result. 

‘‘Doctor,  it  is  marvelous,”  she  exclaimed  the 
next  morning  when  she  called  at  the  appointed 
hour,  “for  I  did  not  expect  it ;  I  did  not  believe 
that  it  was  possible  for  you  to  relieve  me  so  read¬ 
ily  and  without  drugs  after  I  had  tried  almost 
everything  that  the  Doctors  could  suggest.  I 
have  spent  hundreds  of  dollars  without  getting 
the  least  permanent  relief.”  There  was  no  re¬ 
lapse  ;  the  cure  was  permanent.  The  lady  sleeps 
as  peacefully  as  a  child  now  and  that,  too,  with¬ 
out  the  use  of  any  harmful  drugs. 

This  spring  a  young  man  was  brought  to  me 
by  his  friends  from  the  West  Side  of  this  city, 
suffering  from  extreme  alcoholism.  Tt  is  un¬ 
necessary  to  describe  his  symptoms,  suffice  it  to 
say,  they  were  those  of  every  confirmed  iheb- 
riate,  not  excepting  the  snakes ;  to  use  his  ex- 


BOSTON  COLLEGE  Ii  BRAliY 
CHESTNUT  HtLL,  MASS. 

SUGGESTION.  71 

pression,  he  had  ‘‘seen  a  whole  menagerie.”  He 
had  taken  the  Keeley  Cure  at  Dwight  and  been 
sent  to  the  Washingtonian  Home  no  less  than 
eight  times  during  his  fourteen  years  of  slavery- 
in  the  toils  of  strong  drink.  Every  known  cure 
had  been  tried  on  him,  not  excepting  the  putting 
of  dope  in  his  food  and  drink,  with  no  permanent 
results.  He  and  his  friends  both  said  they  had 
come  to  me  as  a  last  resort  and  if  I  failed,  then 
there  was  nothing  left  for  him  but  to  sink  deeper 
and  deeper  into  a  drunkard’s  perdition. 

When  he  came  to  me  he  was  considerably  un¬ 
der  the  influence  of  liquor ;  indeed,  he  had  not 
been  free  from  its  influence  for  many  months, 
but  he  was  in  as  good  a  condition  as  he  was 
likely  to  be  found,  so  I  began  his  treatment  in 
that  state.  He  was  hypnotized  and  went  into 
a  profound  hypnosis.  While  in  this  condition, 
positive  Suggestions  were  made  to  him,  to  the 
effect  that  he  had  a  strong  mind  and  could  rid 
himself  of  any  habit  if  he  choose  to ;  that  he 
wanted  to  quit  drinking  and  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  do  so ;  that  the  appetite  for  drink  would 
leave  him  and  never  return  again ;  that  drink 
with  all  its  associations  would  be  disgusting  to 
him;  that  he  would. regain  his  self-control  and 
self-respect  and  become  a  respectable  man  once 
more ;  that  he  would  be  proud  of  his  victory,  for 


72  THE  psychic  and  psychism. 


it  was  his  own  strong  mind  that  was  winning 
it  for  him  and  that  his  cure  would  be  permanent. 
Similar  Suggestions  were  repeated  to  him  daily 
for  four  days  and  two  or  three  times  a  week  for 
the  balance  of  the  month. 

The  results  were  all  that  could  be  desired.  He 
did  not  taste  liquor  after  the  first  treatment  and 
soon  lost  his  appetite  for  it.  Almost  immedi¬ 
ately  he  began  to  take  and  retain  nourishment 
and  gained  ten  pounds  during  the  first  month. 
Today  liquor  has  no  temptation  for  him  and  it 
would  be  difficult  for  him  to  take  up  the  habit 
again. 

One  evening  a  young  man,  a  machinist,  came 
to  me  and  said  that  he  wished  I  would  hypnotize 
him  and  brace  him  up  so  that  he  would  be  able 
to  resist  the  attempts  being  made  to  force  him 
into  an  unwilling  marriage.  He  went  on  to  in¬ 
form  me  that  there  was  an  association  of  women 
who  made  it  their  business  to  provide  husbands 
for  unfortunate  girls. 

‘‘They  have  me  on  their  list  and  are  after  me 
constantly.  I  find  them  watching  me  every  time 
I  go  out  and  it  makes  me  feel  uncomfortable  and 
afraid,  for  I  do  not  wish  to  be  forced  into  any 
such  union.”  He  went  on  and  gave  me  the  de¬ 
tails  of  an  imagined  persecution  he  was  suf¬ 
fering  from. 


SUGGESTION. 


73 


The  case  was  recognized  as  an  aberration  of 
the  mind  in  which  he  was  dominated  by  the 
hallucination,  an  hallucination  as  indicated 
above.  He  was  hypnotized  several  times  and 
given  Suggestions  which  speedily  returned  him 
to  his  normal  condition  of  thinking,  feeling  and 
acting. 

Psychiatry  furnishes  innumerable  cases  sim¬ 
ilar  to  the  above  that  may  be  successfully  treated 
by  Hypno-Suggestion.  It  is  plain  that  Sugges¬ 
tion  finds  its  greatest  field  for  usefulness  in  the 
treatment  of  mental  diseases  and  it  would  be  in¬ 
teresting  to  multiply  instances  but  space  forbids. 
The  greatest  service  that  Psychism  could  render 
to  humanity  would  be  the  solution  of  the  prob¬ 
lems  of  mental  pathology  such  as  pathologic 
double  and  the  like. 

AUTO  SUGGESTION. 

Autosuggestion  offers  many  alluring  possi¬ 
bilities  for  self-culture  and  self-treatment.  The 
Suggestions  that  are  ordinarily  given  by  another 
in  the  waking,  sleeping  and  hypnotic  states  may 
be  as  certainly  and  satisfactorily  given  to  one’s 
self  if  one  knows  how  to  give  them.  The  po¬ 
tency  of  all  Suggestions  depends  upon  the  afore¬ 
mentioned  belief  and  expectation.  Suggestions 


/ 


74  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


from  those  we  believe  in  are  the  most  potent  and 
if  we  can  inspire  such  a  belief  or  confidence  in 
cur  own  power  to  give  Suggestions  they  will  as 
readily  be  accepted  from  ourselves  and  produce 
the  same  happy  results.  In  the  last  analysis 
every  Suggestion  must  be  received  and  trans¬ 
formed  into  an  Autosuggestion  before  it  can 
reach  and  work  out  its  effect  in  the  mind.  Noth¬ 
ing  ministers  more  to  our  self-respect  than  the 
knowledge  that  we  are  able  to  develop  all  sorts 
of  good  qualities  in  ourselves  and  the  proper 
understanding  of  Autosuggestion  furnishes  this 
knowledge. 

There  are  two  principal  ways  of  giving  Sug¬ 
gestions,  namely,  one  in  the  waking  state  and 
the  other  in  the  natural  sleep.  Direct  Autosug¬ 
gestions  made  while  one  is  awake  differ  in  no 
particular  from  direct  Heterosuggestions  made 
in  the  same  state  except  that  one  makes  the  Sug¬ 
gestion  to  himself.  As  Heterosuggestions  are 
deepened  by  repetition,  so  are  Autosuggestions 
more  deeply  impressed  upon  the  mind  by  re¬ 
peating  them.  And  it  is  claimed  that  all  that 
can  be  accomplished  with  Heterosuggestions 
can  be  duplicated  with  Autosuggestion.  While 
much  may  be  accomplished  by  the  use  of  Auto- 
suggestion  it  is  doubtful  if  that  statement  is  true 
up  to  date ;  however,  it  may  become  true  in  the 


SUGGESTION. 


75 


future.  By  it  one  can  make  the  most  of  his  tal¬ 
ents  ;  he  can  educate  and  develop  himself ;  he  can 
inspire  self-confidence  and  faith,  and  in  short  he 
-  can  live  a  successful  life. 

A  friend  of  mine  who  is  a  living  monument 
of  the  power  of  Autosuggestion,  has  told  me 
of  many  of  his  experiments,  and  his  wife  has 
corroborated  his  statements.  One  evening  she 
said  to  me :  “He  is  not  the  same  man  that  I 
married  eight  years  ago.”  In  a  little  conversa¬ 
tion  we  had  last  week  he  spoke  substantially 
as  follows : 

“I  am  sure  that  all  I  have  accomplished  in 
a  business  way  has  been  done  by  Self-Suggestion. 
I  was  naturally  of  a  timid,  retiring  disposition, 
but  I  have  overcome  that  and  by  Autosugges¬ 
tion  have  developed  a  considerable  self-con¬ 
fidence  ;  so  much,  indeed,  that  some  think  me 
egotistic.  I  might  give  as  an  example  of  my 
method  of  making  the  Suggestions,  my  curing 
myself  of  fear  of  darkness. 

“I  began  by  reasoning  with  myself  and  as¬ 
suring  myself  that  there  is  nothing  more  to  fear 
in  the  dark  than  in  the  light.  I  went  into  the 
dark  to  prove  this  to  myself.  I  shut  myself  up 
in  a  dark  room  and  stayed  there  until  the  feel¬ 
ing  of  fear  vanished.  I  kept  these  Suggestions 
up  until  I  lost  all  fear  of  darkness. 


76 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


“By  a  similar  process  I  taught  myself  how 
to  go  to  sleep  at  any  time  in  any  place.  I  can 
obtain  rest  and  am  often  greatly  revived  by  a 
few  minutes’  sleep  plus  an  Autosuggestion.” 

The  other  way  to  make  Autosuggestions  is  to 
make  them  so  that  they  will  take  effect  during 
sleep.  The  Hypnotist  speaks  to  his  subject  while 
he  is  in  a  subconscious  state,  but  the  one  who 
would  treat  himself  must  speak  to  himself  just 
before  going  to  sleep.  However,  to  have  them  ef¬ 
fective,  they  must  be  as  confidently  and  positively 
given  and  received  as  Heterosuggestions.  Thi$ 
can  only  be  done  after  one  has  learned  by  expe¬ 
rience  how  to  do  it.  He  who  would  treat  him¬ 
self  should  impress  the  desired  thoughts  as 
strongly  as  possible  upon  his  mind  just  before 
going  to  sleep  and  after  falling  to  sleep  they  will 
find  their  way  into  his  dream-consciousness  and 
work  out  the  desired  effect.  This  may  be  illus¬ 
trated  by  an  instance. 

A  friend  and  patient  of  mine  is  able  to  cure 
himself  of  the  various  ailments  that  befall  him. 
Here  is  an  example  of  his  treatments:  For 
years  he  suffered  with  severe  periodical  head¬ 
aches  due  to  inactivity  of  the  digestive  tract,  un¬ 
til  he  heard  of  and  used  “self  cure”  or  Auto¬ 
suggestion.  In  the  midst  of  one  of  his  severe 
attacks  he  began  giving  himself  Autosugges- 


SUGGESTION. 


77 


tions  which  speedily  and  permanently  relieved 
him  of  his  malady.  He  used  the  following 
method :  Before  going  to  sleep,  every  night,  he 
repeated  several  times  to  himself :  “My  trouble 
is  a  habit  and  my  mind  can  and  will  cure  it.”  He 
believed  what  he  said  to  himself  and  a  cure  was 
the  happy  result. 

Theoretically  Autosuggestion  ought  to  be 
able  to  cure  every  ill  that  flesh  is  heir  to,  but  up 
to  date  it  has  succeeded  only  in  a  limited  num¬ 
ber  of  cases.  Its  failure  is  due  no  doubt  to  our 
lack  of  confidence  in  ourselves,  when  we  learn  to 
use  our  psychic  forces  to  the  full  we  shall  be 
able  to  report  better  results. 

Suggestion  deserves  a  more  detailed  discus¬ 
sion  than  it  is  possible  to  give  it  here ;  however, 
it  is  thought  that  the  above  outline  sketch  will 
indicate  its  position  in  Psychism.  Those  wish¬ 
ing  to  make  a  more  careful  study  of  the  subject 
must  refer  to  works  dealing  with  that  subject 
exclusively.  It  ought  to  be  plain  to  all  from 
what  has  been  said  above  that  Suggestion  occu¬ 
pies  a  most  important  place  in  Psychism.  A  fail¬ 
ure  to  recognize  the  subtle  and  the  far-reaching 
influences  of  unintentional  Suggestions  has  led 
many  experimenters  to  most  erroneous  con¬ 
clusions.  This  is  especially  true  in  experiments 
with  persons  who  go  into  a  subconscious  condi- 


78  the  psychic  and  psychism. 

tion,  all  of  the  phenomena  which  they  produce  is 
directed  and  colored  by  either  Hetero  or  Auto¬ 
suggestions  sometimes  they  are  intentional,  but 
more  often  they  are  unintentionally  given. 

Persons  who  fall  into  subconscious  conditions 
take  with  them  all  of  the  materials  requisite  to 
the  phenomena  they  produce.  When  such  phe¬ 
nomena  or  the  memories  of  them  brought  back 
to  the  waking  consciousness  are  absurd  or  im¬ 
possible,  an  explanation  of  them  will  usually  be 
found  in  some  unintentional  Auto  or  Heterosug¬ 
gestion.  More  will  be  said  on  this  subject  in  the 
chapter  on  Somnambulism  and  Trances. 

Most  of  the  examples  used  as  illustrations  in 
the  foregoing  paragraphs  have  been  selected 
from  among  those  whom  I  have  had  occasion  to 
treat  by  Suggestion,  not  because  there  is  any 
lack  of  other  examples,  but  because  they  will  il¬ 
lustrate  what  is  to  follow.  In  the  next  chapter 
the  theory  of  various  psycho-curative  systems 
will  be  discussed  and  the  above  examples  may 
aid  to  an  understanding  of  their  rational. 


CHAPTER  V. 


RATIONAL  OF  PSYCHOPATHY. 

The  importance  of  the  subject — The  existence  of  a 
Psychic  power — Mental  medicine — A  half  dozen 
systems  of  the  same — An  underlying  law  common 
to  all — A  question  of  Psychology — The  duality  of 
mind  explained — Proofs  of  double  consciousness — 
Illustrative  cases — The  amenability  of  the  mind  to 
suggestion — Manner  of  increasing  suggestibility — 
The  subconscious  mind  suggestible — Subconscious 
mind  controls  the  bodily  functions — Power  of  the 
mind  over  the  body — The  law  of  Suggestion  the  law 
of  cure — An  illustration  of  the  same — Absent  treat¬ 
ments — The  value  of  faith — Necessary  conclusions. 

Psychic  research  is  making  rapid  progress 
and  the  whole  world  is  waiting  with  interest  for 
every  item  of  new  data,  but  in  the  whole  range 
of  psychologic  investigation  there  is  nothing  of 
such  transcendent  interest  to  the  world  today  as 
the  relation  of  the  mind  to  the  cure  of  disease. 

That  there  is  a  psychic  power  within  man 
which  presides  over  the  functions,  sensations 
and  conditions  of  the  body,  and  that  this  power 

79 


80 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


/ 

may  be  directed  at  will,  under  certain  conditions, 
for  the  relief  of  the  manifold  ills  of  mankind, 
there  is  no  doubt,  or  need  of  proof.  If  proofs 
were  needed  it  would  suffice  to  call  attention  to 
the  hundreds  of  “healers”  and  the  army  of  those 
who  have  been  healed,  to  be  found  upon  every 
hand.  These  are  real  cures,  and  just  as  well 
authenticated  as  those  found  in  the  reports  of 
cases  cured  by  drug  medicines.  Many  systems 
of  cure,  all  producing  most  positive  proofs  of 
their  efficacy,  have  been  founded  upon-  these 
facts,  but  they  have  as  many  theories  of  causa¬ 
tion  and  as  many  methods  of  application,  as 
there  are  different  curative  systems. 

Mental  Medicine  is  broader  than  any  one  of 
the  curative  systems — it  is  as  broad  as  all  of 
them  combined — as  broad  as  the  curative  action 
of  the  mind  over  the  body.  It  is  worth  while 
to  consider  Psycho-Therapeutics. 

Psychopathic  healing  includes  many  schools, 
each  subdivided  into  various  sects,  but  for  the 
present  purpose  it  will  be  sufficient  to  call  atten¬ 
tion  to  a  half-dozen  of  the  more  prominent  of 
them,  namely:  Christian  Science,  Mind  Cure, 
Faith  Cure,  Spirit  Cure,  Magnetism  and  Hyp¬ 
notism. 

Christian  Science,  which  has  lately  received 
a  pretty  thorough  advertising  at  the  hands  of 


RATIONAL  OF  PSYCHOPATHY.  81 


Mark  Twain  and  others,  claims  that  the  body 
is  unreal,  and  that  the  mind  is  all;  therefore 
disease  has  no  existence  except  in  the  mind,  and 
should  be  ignored  and  denied.  They  persuade 
many  to  believe  this  fallacy  and  show  many 
persons  who  have  been  cured  by  their  treat¬ 
ment. 

Mind  Cure  makes  the  same  statement.  It 
says  “all  diseases  are  conditions  or  states  in¬ 
duced  by  abnormal  conditions  of  the  mind,”  and 
the  advocates  claim  that  these  states  and  condi¬ 
tions  of  the  mind,  together  with  the  diseases 
incident  to  them,  may  be  and  often  are  cor¬ 
rected  by  the  power  of  the  healer’s  mind. 

Faith  Cure  is  based  upon  the  belief  that  reli¬ 
gious  faith  will  save  man  from  sin  and  sickness, 
and  says  that  belief  in  and  prayer  to  God  will 
secure  relief  from  pains  and  the  cure  of  diseases. 
They  point  to  those  who  have  been  healed  and 
triumphantly  exclaim  in  the  words  of  the  Mas¬ 
ter,  “By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them.” 

Spirit  Cure  is  founded  upon  the  supposition 
that  the  shades  of  the  departed  dead  can  and 
do  “come  back  from  the  spirit  world”  and 
through  some  “medium”  give  relief  to  the  sick 
and  comfort  to  the  afflicted.  And  many  are 
willing  to  testify  that  some  “big  Indian  chief” 
or  “little  Indian  squaw”  or  some  other  shade 


82 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


through  a  “medium”  has  cured  them  of  dis¬ 
tressful  diseases. 

Magnetism  teaches  that  there  resides  in  man 
a  subtle  fluid  of  healing  nature  which  may  be 
projected  at  the  will  of  the  operator  upon  an¬ 
other  person  with  the  effect  of  curing  the  func¬ 
tional  and  organic  diseases  of  his  body,  and 
from  the  time  of  Mesmer  until  the  present,  mar¬ 
velous  cures  have  been  made. 

Hypnotism  furnishes  a  power  by  which  per¬ 
sons  may  be  placed  in  a  condition  of  induced 
sleep  or  hypnosis.  While  in  that  state  it  is 
claimed  that  they  are  suggestible  and  may  be 
given  suggestions  that  will  relieve  them  from 
pain  and  cure  their  diseases.  Many  profess  to 
owe  their  good  health  to  this  system  of  thera¬ 
peutics. 

The  above  brief  summary  shows  that  there 
are  a  considerable  number  of  different  systems 
of  Psycho-Therapeutics  based  upon  as  many 
widely  different  theories,  each  presenting  in¬ 
dubitable  evidence  of  its  ability  to  perform  cures 
— many  of  which  appear  almost  miraculous. 
But  they  acknowledge  only  one  thing  in  com¬ 
mon,  namely,  that  they  all  cure  diseases.  How¬ 
ever,  it  requires  only  a  superficial  study  of  them 
to  discover  that  there  must  be  a  common  un¬ 
derlying  principle  or  law  upon  which  they  all 
operate. 


RATIONAL  OF  PSYCHOPATHY. 


83 


Now,  since  all  curative  phenomena  produced 
by  psychic  influence  under  whatever  name  they 
occur,  must  depend  upon  the  same  fundamental 
law,  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  this  law 
should  be  discovered — that  we  should  find  and 
recognize  the  law  of  Psycho-Therapeutics.  It 
is  plain  that  the  law  must  depend  upon  the  con¬ 
stitution  of  the  mind,  so  we  must  turn  to  Psy¬ 
chology  for  the  key  to  the  solution. 

Fortunately  Hypnotism  has  recently  come  to 
our  assistance,  enabling  us  to  better  understand 
the  constitution  and  action  of  the  mind.  It  has 
revealed,  among  other  things,  first,  the  dual 
nature  of  the  mind,  and  second,  the  amenability 
of  the  mind  to  suggestion.  Some  intimations  of 
these  peculiarities  had  been  observed  in  certain 
trance  and  other  spontaneous  conditions,  but 
it  remained  for  Hypnotism  to  fully  establish 
them.  Hypnotism  is  of  great  aid  to  students  of 
Psychology,  and  its  revelations  will  doubtless 
overthrow  many  of  the  older  doctrines  of  the 
psychologists. 

It  is  thought  that  the  two  facts  just  men¬ 
tioned,  namely,  the  duality  of  the  mind  and  its 
amenability  to  suggestions,  furnish  an  explana¬ 
tion  of  the  principles  underlying  all  of  the 
Psycho-Curative  System  or  the  Law  of  Mental 
Medicine.  It  seems  possible  to  justify  these 
facts,  as  we  shall  now  attempt  to  show. 


84 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


The  duality  of  the  mind  is  not  a  new  idea,  but 
it  has  recently  received  new  emphasis.  The 
separate  action  of  the  two  hemispheres  of  the 
brain  is  not  what  is  meant,  although  that  is  pos¬ 
sible,  as  is  shown  by  the  phenomena  of  unilateral 
hypnosis.  There  is  a  duality  in  the  sense  that 
the  mind  possesses  two  distinct  sets  of  func¬ 
tions,  with  a  double  consciousness,  operating 
more  or  less  independently.  This  duality  of  the 
mind  would  seem  to  be  proven  if  the  existence 
of  the  dual  consciousness  with  separate  memo¬ 
ries  can  be  demonstrated,  namely,  the  primary 
or  waking  consciousness  and  the  secondary  or 
subconsciousness.  The  usual  distinction  made 
between  them  is  that  the  first  includes  all  knowl¬ 
edge  obtained  by  the  aid  of  the  five  senses  and 
reason,  and  the  second  includes  all  knowledge 
gained  through  intuition  and  immediate  percep¬ 
tion. 

The  physiologists,  Carpenter  and  others,  rec¬ 
ognized  two  kinds  of  mental  activity.  The  un¬ 
usual  kind,  not  belonging  properly  to  the  con¬ 
scious  phenomena,  they  called  “unconscious 
cerebration”  for  want  of  a  better  term.  These 
we  now  know  as  the  subconscious  phenomena  of 
the  mind. 

There  are  no  unconscious  activities  of  the 
mind,  for  the  very  essence  of  mind  is  conscious- 


RATIONAL  OF  PSYCHOPATHY.  85 


ness.  These  are  subconscious,  but  no?  uncon¬ 
scious  phenomena.  Many  of  the  subconscious 
phenomena  never  rise  above  the  floor  of  ordi¬ 
nary  consciousness. 

Consciousness  may  be  illustrated  by  two  cir¬ 
cles,  the  smaller  one  within  the  other,  both  hav¬ 
ing  a  common  center.  The  smaller  circle  repre¬ 
sents  the  ordinary  consciousness,  for  the  waking 
consciousness  contains  only  a  small  part  of  our 
whole  conscious  activity.  The  subconscious¬ 
ness  is  represented  by  the  larger  circle,  for  it 
contains  all  that  is  in  the  smaller  circle  and 
much  more  that  lies  beyond  the  limit  of  its  cir¬ 
cumference. 

The  double  aspect  of  the  mind  is  observed 
also  in  the  blending  with  the  physical  and  spir¬ 
itual  realms ;  the  mind,  through  the  senses  and 
reason,  adjusts  itself  to  its  physical  environment 
and  through  the  intuition  and  immediate  per¬ 
ception  reaches  its  spiritual  environments. 

The  very  latest  statements  of  Physiology  em¬ 
phasize  this  duality,  although  strangely  enough 
many  of  the  physiologists  stick  to  the  old  ma¬ 
terialistic  explanations.  Vincent,  in  a  chapter 
upon  the  “Physiology  of  Hypnosis,”  reaches  the 
following  conclusion :  “Thus  there  seems  to  be 
in  the  human  nervous  organism  a  dual  nervous 
action,  one  automatic  and  intuitive,  the  other 
rational,  volitional  and  deliberative.” 


86 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


A  detailed  discussion  would  be  out  of  place 
here,  but  it  can  be  easily  shown  that  there  is 
abundant  evidence  to  prove  that  the  theory  of 
double  consciousness  is  well  founded.  Three 
groups  of  phenomena  are  urged  as  proofs, 
namely,  spontaneous,  induced  and  diseased 
states  of  mind,  in  which  subconscious  activities 
are  observed.  Let  us  examine  examples  of 
each : 

In  the  normal  states  these  subconscious  phe¬ 
nomena  are  seen  in  such  actions  as  are  common 
in  the  so-called  “unconscious  cerebrations,”  and 
the  “automatic  and  nervous  activities,”  where 
the  mind  performs  two  acts  at  once,  as  adding 
up  a  column  of  figures  while  carrying  on  a  lively 
conversation.  Such  actions  require  the  con¬ 
scious  employment  of  two  separate  trains  of 
memory  in  their  performance,  but  we  have  only 
"  one  conscious  memory,  hence  the  other  must  be 
subconscious. 

The  phenomena  of  Dreams  and  spontaneous 
Somnambulism  and  Trances  point  in  the  same 
direction,  for  Sleep  is  not  merely  an  absence  of 
wraking  activity,  but  it  is  a  phase  of  personality 
with  distinctive  characteristics.  The  intimate 
relationship  between  sleep  and  hypnosis  will 
serve  to  emphasize  this  statement.  The  utter¬ 
ances  and  movements  of  Somnambulists  prove 


RATIONAL  OF  PSYCHOPATHY.  87 


that  they  are  not  automata,  indeed  they  often 
perform  most  complicated  actions  which  would 
be  impossible  without  consciousness,  and  yet, 
after  awaking  they  usually  have  no  conscious 
memory  of  their  actions.  A  patient  of  mine,  a 
young  lady,  was  accustomed  to  arise  and  dress 
herself  at  night  while  asleep  and  walk  about  the 
house,  and  only  knew  that  she  had  been  sleep¬ 
walking  when  she  awoke  in  the  morning  and 
found  herself  in  the  bed  fully  dressed. 

The  induced  subconscious  states  are  found  in 
hypnosis,  and  they  go  far  to  prove  the  duality 
of  the  mind.  The  phenomena  of  hypnosis  have 
been  given  in  detail  by  many  writers,  and  may 
be  referred  to. 

Hypnotized  subjects  sometimes  pass  into  an¬ 
other  personality  and  deny  that  they  have  any 
relationship  with  their  conscious  selves.  Some¬ 
times  they  deny  any  acquaintance  with  their 
conscious  selves ;  at  others  they  admit  that  they 
are  acquainted  but  deny  the  possibility  of  being 
identical  with  them.  Indeed,  they  often  have 
entirely  different  personal  characteristics.  A 
person  dull-witted  and  slow  in  the  natural  state, 
sometimes  becomes  quick-witted  and  active 
when  hypnotized.  They  have  been  known  t6 
change  their  names  and  social  position  under 
the  domination  of  the  belief  that  they  are  differ- 


88 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


ent  individuals.  In  these  cases  the  segregation 
of  the  mind  appears  to  be  complete. 

Some  writers  say  that  the  double  personality 
of  hypnosis  proves  too  much,  for  not  two  but 
several  personalities  may  be  evoked.  Careful 
observation,  however,  shows  that  these  appar¬ 
ent  personalities  of  hypnosis,  with  their  memo¬ 
ries  tend  to  run  into  one,  the  primary  hypnotic 
personality  and  memory,  and  are  undoubtedly 
due  to  unintentional  suggestions  of  the  oper¬ 
ator.  If  we  bear  in  mind  the  hyperacuteness 
of  the  subject,  this  will  be  readily  understood. 

Many  examples  of  pathologic  double  person¬ 
ality  are  on  record.  The  Rev.  Ansel  Bourne 
of  Greene,  R.  I.,  is  a  well  known  and  typical 
example.  He  fell  into  what  appeared  to  be  a 
spontaneous  hypnotic  trance ;  at  any  rate  it  was 
a  trance  in  which  his  personality  was  com¬ 
pletely  changed.  As  the  case  is  an  entirely 
genuine  one,  it  will  be  briefly  recited. 

Mr.  Bourne  drew  some  money  from  the  Prov¬ 
idence  bank  with  which  to  pay  some  bills,  and 
boarded  a  horse  car  for  the  purpose  of  return¬ 
ing  home.  These  were  the  last  incidents  that 
he  remembered  before  falling  into  the  trance. 
While  entranced  he  made  an  excursion  to  New 
York  and  Philadelphia,  and  finally  located  in 
Morristown,  Pa.,  where  he  opened  and  stocked 


RATIONAL  OF  PSYCHOPATHY.  89 


a  small  stationery  and  confectionery  store  under 
the  name  of  A.  J.  Brown.  He  conducted  his 
business  in  such  a  manner  that  no  one  sus¬ 
pected  that  he  was  entranced.  One  morning 
six  weeks  later  he  awoke  in  his  normal  person¬ 
ality  and  called  to  the  people  with  whom  he 
was  boarding,  asking  them  to  tell  him  where  he 
was.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he  had  only  been 
asleep  for  a  few  hours.  He  informed  them  that 
he  was  the  Rev.  Ansel  Bourne  of  Rhode  Island, 
but  they  and  the  physician  who  was  called 
thought  he  was  insane  at  first;  however,  a  tele¬ 
gram  from  his  home  convinced  them  that  he 
was  sane.  His  nephew,  Mr.  Andrew  Harris, 
went  after  and  took  him  home,  where  he  had 
been  advertised  for  two  months  as  missing.  In 
his  normal  state  he  had  no  knowledge  of  nor 
would  he  have  anything  to  do  with  his  store. 

Hypnotism  was  used  as  a  means  to  secure  the 
memory  of  his  second  personality,  and  he  readily 
told  of  his  “Brown”  existence,  but  while  hyp¬ 
notized  could  not  remember  any  of  the  events 
of  his  normal  life.  He  did  not  recognize  his 
friends  and  declared  when  Mrs.  Bourne  was  pre¬ 
sented  to  him  that  he  had  “never  seen  the  woman 
before.” 

It  was  hoped  by  Suggestion,  etc.,  to  run  the 
two  personalities  into  one,  and  make  the  memo- 


90  the  psychic  and  psychism. 


ries  continuous,  but  no  artifice  would  avail  to 
accomplish  this,  and  Mr.  Bourne’s  skull  today 
still  covers  two  distinct  personal  selves. 

.These  classical  cases  have  been  cited  because 
they  carry  great  evidential  value,  coming  as  they 
do  from  such  distinguished  and  competent  ob¬ 
servers.  The  report  of  many  similar  cases  are 
easily  accessible,  and  may  be  studied  by  any 
one  who  wishes  to  investigate  the  subject. 

The  amenability  of  the  mind  to  Suggestion 
is  so  commonly  accepted  that  it  is  only  neces¬ 
sary  to  state  the  fact ;  but  a  few  illustrations  will 
serve  to  emphasize  it.  The  suggestibility  of 
the  mind  is  found  in  the  waking  state,  in  hyp¬ 
nosis,  and  in  pathologic  states. 

All  persons  are  more  or  less  suggestible  in 
the  waking  state.  Many  interesting  facts  illus¬ 
trating  its  influence  are  familiar  to  all.  Per¬ 
haps  no  better  example  could  be  found  than  the 
oft-repeated  experiment  of  “playing  a  trick”  on 
a  person,  as  was  described  in  the  last  chapter. 
Several  persons  by  concerted  arrangement  suc¬ 
cessively  tell  an  unsuspecting  person  that  he  is 
looking  badly  and  must  be  sick,  with  the  result 
that  he  soon  becomes  ill. 

While  the  suggestibility  of  the  mind  is  con¬ 
siderable  in  the  waking  state,  induced  sleep  or 
hypnosis  is  the  suggestible  state.  Hypnotism 


RATIONAL  OF  PSYCHOPATHY.  91 


is  the  pass-key  that  admits  us  to  the  study  of 
the  mind,  and  it  is  through  it  that  we  have 
obtained  the  most  positive  proof  of  the  Law  of 
Suggestion.  It  has  not  only  demonstrated  the 
suggestibility  of  the  mind,  but  has  also  shown 
that  it  is  the  subconscious  mind  that  is  sugges¬ 
tible. 

The  susceptibility  of  the  hypnotized  subject 
is  phenomenal  and  almost  unlimited  in  certain 
directions.  It  has  been  shown  that  speech, 
music  and  signs,  all  have  marked  suggestive 
influence  over  our  subjects.  Sad  music,  like  a 
sad  story,  will  make  them  sad,  and  tears  will 
well  up  into  the  eyes  and  course  down  the 
cheeks.  Comic  pictures,  like  humorous  stories 
or  lively  music,  will  send  them  off  into  fits  of 
merriment;  their  personalities  may  be  changed 
by  a  word.  Suggest  that  they  are  other  per¬ 
sons,  and  they  will  accept  and  conduct  them¬ 
selves  accordingly. 

Certain  diseased  conditions,  as  hysteria,  fur¬ 
nish  further  evidence  of  the  impressionability  of 

> 

the  mind,  if  more  were  needed,  but  it  is  thought 
that  enough  has  been  given  to  abundantly  estab* 
lish  the  fact. 

Together  with  the  control  of  the  mind  by 
Suggestion,  another  important  fact  appears, 
namely,  the  functions,  sensations  and  states  of 


92 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


the  body,  are  under  the  control  of  t’he  sub¬ 
conscious  mind.  The  fact  that  the  functions, 
sensations  and  states  of  the  body  are  beyond  the 
control  of  the  will,  leads  us  a  long  way  toward 
certainty  that  they  are  under  subconscious  con¬ 
trol,  for  they  must  be  under  the  control  of  either 
one  or  the  other.  It  would  be  absurd  to  say 
that  they  are  not  consciously  controlled  in  the 
light  of  recent  demonstrations.  It  is  well 
known  that  the  functions  and  sensations  may  be 
changed  and  controlled  at  will  of  the  subjects 
who  are  in  hypnotic  subconscious  states.  Any 
one  who  will,  can  readily  prove  all  that  is  stated 
here.  In  this  induced  state  the  voluntary  and 
involuntary  actions  are  easily  controlled  and  the 
sensations  varied  as  desired. 

The  action  of  the  heart  may  be  depressed 
or  accelerated  and  the  character  of  the  respira¬ 
tory  rhythm  altered  as  desired.  The  temperature 
of  the  body  may  be  increased  or  lowered.  The 
functional  activities  of  the  liver,  kidneys,  stom¬ 
ach,  intestines  and  the  other  organs  may  be 
affected  at  will.  In  short,  not  only  functional, 
but  organic  diseases  may  be  produced  by  Hyp¬ 
notic  Suggestion.  The  power  of  the  mind  over 
the  body  is  in  keeping  with  its  growth  and  de¬ 
velopment,  for  every  cell  in  the  complex  fabric 
is  placed  and  controlled  by  mind  processes ; 


RATIONAL  OF  PSYCHOPATHY. 


93 


therefore,  it  is  not  surprising  that  organic 
changes  have  been,  and  may  be  produced  by 
Suggestion. 

Therefore,  since  the  functions,  sensations  and 

Q 

conditions  of  the  body  are  controlled  by  the 
subconscious  mind,  and  the  subconscious  mind 
is  controlled  by  Suggestion,  it  is  plain  that  the 
derangements  of  these  bodily  functions  and 
states  may  be  corrected  by  Suggestion. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  understand  the  way 
in  which  cures  are  effected  by  Suggestion,  and 
are  not  surprised  to  find  that  Suggestion  is  the 
principle  underlying  Psychic-Healing.  It  is  easy 
to  show  that  all  cures  effected  by  the  various 
systems  of  Mental  Medicine  must  find  their  ex¬ 
planation  in  this  Law  of  Suggestion.  A  law 
must  be  universal  in  its  operation,  and  the  Law 
of  Suggestion  seems  to  be  broad  enough  to 
cover  and  explain  all  of  the  cures  resulting  from 
the  various  psychologic  systems. 

This  is  the  way  Suggestion  operates :  A  re¬ 
ceptive  state  of  mind  is  induced  in  the  patient — 
the  Suggestion  is  given  that  he  will  soon  be  well 
• — he  believes  that  he  is  about  to  be  cured,  and 
his  mind  determines  the  result  and  he  is  cured. 
It  is  plain  that  it  is  faith  or  belief  that  is  the 
connecting  link  that  completes  the  circuit  of 
curative  powers.  There  is  a  law  which  appears 


94  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


to  be  almost  without  exception,  namely,  that 
what  a  person  expects  is  likely  to  appear  in 
him,  whether  it  be  physiologic  or  psychologic 
in  character. 

This  is  the  way  the  various  cures  operate: 
A  man  who  has  been  ill  for  a  long  time  becomes 
dissatisfied  with  the  treatment  of  his  attending 
physician,  in  whose  hands  he  has  possibly  suf¬ 
fered  many  things,  and  dismisses  him.  He 
hears  of  a  “healer”  and  decides  to  consult  him. 
The  “healer”  explains  his  system  and  assures 
the  patient  that  he  can  cure  him.  The  patient 
is  convinced — pays  the  fees — and  passively  sub¬ 
mits^  to  the  treatment.  The  result  is  prompt — ■ 
he  feels  better  after  the  first  application  of  the 
treatment  and  soon  fully  secures  his  health. 
Now  this  is  what  has  happened  in  this  case, 
namely,  he  believed,  he  became  passive,  he  re¬ 
ceived  curative  Suggestions  and  his  mind  deter¬ 
mined  the  result.  All  of  these  cases  may  be 
shown  to  be  simply  suggestive  treatment.  They 
do  not  result  from  any  merit  in  the  “cure,”  but 
from  the  belief  in  it.  In  like  manner  belief  is 
the  key-note  in  all  of  the  Psycho-Curative  Sys¬ 
tems,  for  it  furnishes  the  opportunity  to  make 
the  curative  Suggestions. 

Absent  Treatments,  even  when  they  are  not 
influenced  by  the  expectation  of  the  patient,  are 


RATIONAL  OF  PSYCHOPATHY. 


95 


not  exceptions  to  this  Law  of  Cure.  The  cura¬ 
tive  influence  in  these  cases  must  be  due  to 
telepathic  communication,  whereby  the  Sugges¬ 
tions  are  given  and  the  results  obtained.  The 
fact  that  the  belief  and  expectation  are  sub¬ 
conscious  is  an  advantage,  because  it  is  through 
the  subconscious  mind  that  cures  are  effected. 
Likewise  in  children,  the  amenability  to  Sug¬ 
gestion  is  pronounced,  and  begins  much  earlier 
in  their  lives  than  most  people  are  aware.  The 
subconscious  mind  is  present  from  the  begin¬ 
ning. 

The  Great  Physician  used  to  say,  “According 
to  your  faith  be  it  unto  you,”  and  “Thy  faith 
hath  made  thee  whole,”  and  again,  "He  could 
do  no  mighty  works  (healing)  because  of  their 
unbelief.” 

Paracelsus  recognized  the  same  law  when  He 
said : 

“It  is  faith  which  gives  power — unbelief  is  a 
destroyer.  Whether  the  object  of  your  faith  be 
real  or  false,  you  will  nevertheless  obtain  the 
same  effects.  Faith  produces  miracles,  and 
whether  it  is  true  or  false  faith  it  will  always 
produce  the  same  wonders  ” 

These  statements  and  many  others  like  them 
from  recent  writers  explain  how  it  happens  that 
systems  with  such  widely  differing  doctrines  and 


96 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


methods  have  all  secured  such  marvelous  re¬ 
sults.  They  have  succeeded  in  winning  the  con¬ 
fidence  and  inspiring  faith  in  their  followers  and 
in  giving  the  Suggestions  which  have  determined 
the  mind  in  producing  the  cures. 

It  seems  plain  that  the  conditions  and  pro¬ 
cesses  of  all  Psychopathic  Healing  are  essen¬ 
tially  the  same.  The  conditions  are  states  of 
receptivity  or  suggestibility,  and  the  processes 
are  the  making  of  the  needful  curative  Sugges¬ 
tions  to  the  patients.  That  these  conditions 
and  processes  have  been  induced  and  given  un¬ 
wittingly  is  rather  confirmatory  than  otherwise 
of  the  universality  of  the  Law  of  Suggestion. 
The  Law  of  Mental  Healing  will  be  progressively 
more  appreciated  as  it  is  better  understood  and 
more  used. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


TELEPATHY. 

Telepathy  a  central  factor  in  Psychic  Research — 
Thoughts  are  mental  creations — Telepathy  defined — 
Telepathy  in  the  waking  state — Thought-Trans¬ 
ference  a  common  experience — It  was  known  in  an¬ 
cient  times — Rapport  facilitates  its  operation — A 
well  known  author’s  experience  —  Unintentional 
plagiarism — A  Telepathic  experiment  with  cards — 
The  theory  of  absent  treatment — Telepathy  easy  to 
study — Telepathy  in  natural  sleep — It  usually 
occurs  in  dreams — Sees  a  brother  murdered — Ex¬ 
periments — A  Telepathic  phantasm — Telepathy  in 
Hypnosis — Hypnotism  a  great  aid  to  its  study — A 
case  of  mind  leading — The  notes  of  an  evening’s 
experimentation — Delayed  perception — The  Profes¬ 
sor’s  opinion — Telepathie  a  trois. 

The  importance  of  this  subject  cannot  be 
overstated,  for  it  is  the  central  factor  in  Psychic 
Research.  Wireless  telegraphy  is  no  more  a  fact 
than  Mental  Telegraphy,  although  it  appears 
just  now  that  wireless  telegraphy  will  be  sooner 
understood  and  sooner  reduced  to  practical  use 
than  Mental  Telegraphy;  but  later  the  reverse 

97 


98 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


may  be  true,  for  many  of  our  best  students  of 
Psychology  are  experimenting  along  these  lines. 

Telepathy  depends  upon  the  fact  that 
thoughts  are  mental  creations  which  are  carried 
by  a  subtle  ether  across  wide  distances  from 
mind  to  mind.  Thought  waves  are  similar  to 
those  set  up  by  heat,  electricity  and  light. 
Thoughts  are  not  impalpable  creations,  lost  as 
soon  as  created,  but  they  are  things  sent  out 
to  be  felt  and  known  by  all  who  are  sensitive 
enough  to  receive  them.  The  world  is  a  whis¬ 
pering  gallery,  and  all  who  will  may  catch  the 
whispered  messages.  It  is  possible  for  all  to 
develop  this  receptivity ;  that  is,  to  get  into  tune 
with  the  world.  The  thoughts  of  the  world  are 
much  like  the  noises  of  a  great  city — a  mean¬ 
ingless  din  unless  an  effort  is  made  to  discrimi¬ 
nate  between  them.  By  attention  one  sound 
may  be  separated  from  the  rest  and  its  location 
and  meaning  determined.  In  like  manner  in¬ 
dividual  thoughts  may  be  separated  from  the 
multitude  that  come  to  us  and  their  source  and 
meaning  interpreted.  The  term  Telepathy  has 
been  defined  to  mean  the  communication  of  one 
mind  or  person  with  another,  beyond  the  range 
of  the  physical  senses,  without  the  interposition 
of  any  physical  agent.  Perhaps  the  exact  mean¬ 
ing  is  better  indicated  by  the  expression, 


TELEPATHY. 


99 


Thought  Transference.  Many  facts  point  to 
the  existence  of  such  a  means  of  communica¬ 
tion.  Some  facts  are  found  in  the  phenomena 
observed;  first  in  the  waking  state,  second  in 
natural  sleep  and  third  in  hypnosis. 

i 

IN  THE  WAKING  STATE. 

All  persons  have  had  experience  in  Thought 
Transference.  Doubtless  every  person  who 
reads  these  pages  has  had  personal  experience, 
if  he  takes  time  to  think  and  recall  instances. 
Thought  Transference  is  not  something  new; 
so  far  back  in  history  as  the  Sacred  Record, 
examples  have  been  recorded.  It  is  said  of 
Jesus  that  “knowing  their  thoughts”  he  an¬ 
swered  them  or  asked  them  questions,  and  it 
appears  that  it  was  a  common  experience  with 
Him  to  use  this  means  of  communication. 

But  we  do  not  have  to  go  back  to  ancient 
records  to  find  examples  of  Thought  Transfer¬ 
ence,  or  Mind  Reading;  they  are  common  ex¬ 
periences  today.  Two  persons  associated  to¬ 
gether  often  surprise  each  other  by  the  one 
speaking  of  what  the  other  has  been  thinking. 
A  patient  of  mine  told  me  the  other  day  that 
when  her  sister  came  to  her  room  and  opened 
the  door,  before  she  spoke  a  word,  she  could 
tell  her  what  she  was  about  to  ask,  and  often 


100  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


answered  her  without  the  question  being  pro¬ 
nounced. 

Close  sympathy  or  rapport  greatly  facilitates 
the  transfer  and  interpretation  of  thoughts. 
Persons  have  been  known  to  be  so  thoroughly 
in  rapport  that  it  was  difficult  to  tell  with  which 
one  the  thought  originated.  A  lady  friend  of 
mine  told  me  that  she  got  so  thoroughly  in  rap¬ 
port  with  a  public  speaker  that  she  could  often 
anticipate  his  words.  On  one  occasion,  when 
in  the  midst  of  his  discourse  he  suddenly  stopped 
and  picked  up  his  handkerchief  from  the  desk, 
for  an  instant  it  seemed  to  have  been  her  hand 
that  picked  up  the  ’kerchief,  for  she  distinctly 
felt  the  silk  texture  of  it. 

Recently  I  read  a  very  interesting  account  of 
Mental  Telegraphy  written  by  a  well-known 
author  of  his  own  experience  with  a  friend.  He 
was  living  in  the  East  at  the  time,  and  his  friend 
was  living  in  Nevada.  He  says: 

‘Two  or  three  years  ago  I  was  lying  in  bed 
idly  musing  one  morning,  when  suddenly  a  ‘red 
hot’  new  idea  came  whistling  down  into  my 
camp  and  exploding  with  such  expansive  effec¬ 
tiveness  as  to  sweep  the  vicinity  clear  of  rub¬ 
bishy  reflections  and  fill  the  air  with  their  dust 
and  flying  fragments.”  The  idea,  simply  stated, 
was  that  it  was  the  time  for  the  writing  of  a 


TELEPATHY. 


101 


certain  book  on  the  silver  mines  of  Nevada,  and 
this  Nevada  friend  of  his  was  just  the  man  to 
write  it,  and  so  he  arose  from  his  bed  and  im¬ 
mediately  set  to  writing  a  letter  to  his  friend, 
telling  him  in  substance  that  the  time  was  ripe 
and  the  market  ready  for  such  a  book,  and  be¬ 
cause  he  was  a  particular  friend  he  made  bold 
to  state  what  he  considered  the  plan  of  the  book 
ought  to  be,  and,  indeed,  went  into  some  detail. 
After  writing  the  letter  he  was  a  little  concerned 
about  the  wisdom  of  advising  his  friend  to 
write  a  book  before  a  publisher  was  found,  so 
he  pigeon-holed  the  letter  until  such  a  time  as 
he  could  have  a  conference  with  his  own  pub¬ 
lisher  about  getting  out  the  book.  A  week 
passed  before  he  could  have  the  desired  confer¬ 
ence  with  his  publisher,  when  one  day  a  letter 
arrived  and  he  recognized  his  friend’s  hand¬ 
writing  on  the  outside  of  the  envelope.  He 
turned  to  some  friends  present  when  the  letter 
was  received  and  said : 

“I  will  do  a  miracle — I  will  tell  what  this 
letter  contains  before  I  open  it.”  And  he  gave 
an  outlined  statement  of  the  contents  of  the  let¬ 
ter  and  then  opened  the  same  and  read  it  to 
his  friends,  and  it  tallied  in  a  most  remarkable 
manner  with  his  previous  statement.  The  “red 
hot  idea”  apparently  was  not  original  with  him, 


102  THE  psychic  and  psychism. 


but  was  telepathed  to  him  by  his  friend  in 
Nevada. 

It  is  plain  from  the  above  how  innocent  per¬ 
sons  are  apparently  guilty  of  plagarism.  Original 
thoughts  are  not  always  original  with  the  per¬ 
son  who  publishes  them ;  they  may  be  uncon¬ 
sciously  obtained  from  another.  Such  a  case 
occurred  with  a  couple  of  acquaintances.  They 
each  wrote  a  book  on  the  same  subject,  while 
living  one  in  the  United  States,  the  other  in 
China.  The  books  were  very  similar  in  ar¬ 
rangement,  and  whole  pages  were  practically 
identical.  Each  thought  that  the  other  had 
copied  his  work,  but  an  inquiry  proved  that 
neither  had  seen  the  other’s  work  before  writing 
his  own,  and  it  was  decided  that  it  was  a 
case  of  Thought  Transference.  One  caught  the 
other’s  thoughts,  or  they  both  obtained  them 
from  an  unknown  third  party. 

I  have  sometimes  made  experiments  in  Telep¬ 
athy,  and  recall  now  an  experiment  made  one 
evening  with  cards.  A  professional  gentleman 
was  thoroughly  blindfolded  and  turned  with  his 
back  to  the  table  around  which  several  of  us 
were  seated;  then  a  card  was  placed  upon  the 
table  at  random  and  the  blindfolded  gentleman 
was  asked  to  tell  what  card  it  was.  In  several 
instances  he  announced  speedily  and  correctly 


TELEPATHY. 


103 


the  suit  and  value  of  the  card.  Some  of  the 
other  members  of  the  party  tried  similar  experi¬ 
ments,  and  a  sufficient  number  of  successes  were 
obtained  to  convince  us  that  the  results  could 
not  be  accounted  for  by  guesses.  Sometimes 
instead  of  using  cards  we  drew  geometrical  fig¬ 
ures  upon  a  sheet  of  paper,  then  passed  the 
paper  from  one  to  the  other,  each  in  turn  with 
a  pencil  tracing  the  outline  of  the  figure,  while 
the  blindfolded  man  made  his  mind  a  blank  or 
receptive  and  told  what  the  figure  was;  in  this 
also  many  successes  were  scored. 

I  recall  a  little  incident  that  occurred  several 
years  ago  when  I  was  acting  in  the  capacity  of 
judge  of  an  election.  One  day  while  we  were 
sitting  in  the  polling  place,  not  having  much  to 
do  we  fell  to  talking  of  Thought  Transference, 
Mind  Reading  and  the  like,  when  suddenly  a 
gentleman  addressed  one  of  the  clerks,  saying: 

“I  can  tell  you  what  you  had  for  breakfast. 
I  can  tell  you  where  you  got  that  suit  of  clothes 
and  how  much  you  paid  for  it.  I  can  tell  you 
your  mother’s  maiden  name,  the  name  of  the 
first  school  teacher  you  ever  had,  and  can  tell 
you  the  number  of  your  watch ;  and  I  will  wager 
you  five  dollars  that  I  tell  you  all  of  these  things 
without  making  a  mistake.”  He  was  unable  to 
get  a  wager,  but  to  prove  that  he  was  not  jesting 


104  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


he  proceeded  to  tell  these  several  things,  and, 
indeed,  succeeded  in  telling  them  all  without  a 
mistake. 

The  theory  of  distant  or  absent  treatment  of 
the  sick  is  based  upon  these  facts.  Undoubtedly 
it  is  possible  under  certain  conditions  to  send 
helpful  suggestions  to  persons  who  are  ill  at 
a  distance.  I  have  in  mind  now  a  case  in  point. 
A  young  lady  patient  of  mine  living  not  far  from 
my  rooms  was  seriously  ill,  and  one  night  was 
unable  to  go  to  sleep.  She  said  to  her  friend 
who  was  attending  her: 

“I  am  so  dreadfully  nervous  I  am  sure  that  I 
shall  not  sleep  at  all  during  the  night.” 

At  about  eleven  o’clock  I  returned  to  mv 
rooms  and  while  preparing  to  retire  was  im¬ 
pressed,  or  in  more  accurate  words  received  a 
message  telling  me  that  my  patient  was  nervous 
and  restless,  and  I  immediately  answered  the 
message,  addressing  these  words  to  the  patient 
as  though  I  were  in  her  presence : 

'‘You  will  not  be  restless  any  more,  and  will 
soon  go  to  sleep  and  rest  comfortably  all  night.” 

The  result  was  that  she  did  go  to  sleep  and 
rested  well.  The  next  morning  when  I  made 
my  regular  call  upon  the  patient  she  told  me  of 
her  experience  the  night  before  and  asked  me 
if  I  had  sent  her  a  quieting  message  at  about 


TELEPATHY. 


ios 


eleven  o’clock.  I  admitted  that  I  had.  In  this 
case  we  have  a  positive  demonstration  of  Mental 
Telegraphy. 

Any  two  persons  can  readily  make  a  study  of 
Telepathy  in  the  following  manner:  A.  con¬ 
venient  time  should  be  appointed  when  neither 
is  likely  to  be  disturbed.  One  should  send  and 
the  other  should  receive  the  messages.  The 
agent  and  percipient  may  exchange  offices  at 
their  pleasure.  The  sittings  should  not  be  too 
long — thirty  minutes  is  long  enough.  Divide 
the  time  into  two  or  three  parts  and  try  to  send 
a  thought  or  an  idea  in  each  part.  The  receiver 
or  percipient  should  make  a  note  of  the  thoughts 
received  at  the  time  and  later  compare  notes 
with  the  sender  or  agent.  A  telepascope  has 
been  devised  as  an  aid  in  these  simple  experi¬ 
ments.  It  is  simply  a  long  tube  wide  enough 
to  allow  both  eyes  to  look  through  it  at  once  at 
the  object  or  figure  to  be  transferred.  Any  one 
can  make  one  out  of  cardboard  to  serve  that 
purpose.  It  aids  the  agent  in  concentrating  the 
attention  on  a  single  object.  We  will  now  turn 
to  a  study  of  Telepathy, 

IN  NATURAL  SLEEP. 

Most  of  the  phenomena  of  Thought  Trans¬ 
ference  or  Telepathy  observed  in  natural  sleep 


106  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


occur  in  dreams.  Dreams  which  give  a  true 
account  of  happenings.  You  remember  we 
have  a  very  early  account  of  such  a  dream  and 
its  interpretation.  Daniel  of  old,  after  all  of 
the  magicians  and  sooth-sayers  in  Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar’s  court  had  failed  to  tell  the  King  the 
dream  he  had  had,  which  he  had  forgotten,  and 
its  interpretation,  volunteered  to  tell  the  King 
what  he  wanted  to  know,  that  is,  to  tell  him  his 
wonderful  dream  and  its  interpretation,  and 
thereby  saved  his  own  life  and  glorified  the  God 
of  Israel. 

The  instances  in  which  dreams  have  brought 
important  revelations  are  too  many  to  be  ac¬ 
counted  for  by  coincidence;  but  do  not  under¬ 
stand  me  to  say  that  every  dream  of  the  night 
is  a  revelation.  Undoubtedly  many  dreams  are 
of  little  or  no  importance,  but  when  it  happens 
that  a  person  dreams  the  details  of  some  event 
and  it  leaves  an  indellible  impression  upon  the 
mind,  coincidence  is  not  a  sufficient  explanation. 
For  example,  a  lady  recently  dreamed  that  she 
saw  her  brother  murdered.  They  were  more 
than  a  thousand  miles  apart — she  in  Indiana  and 
he  in  Nebraska.  The  dream  was  so  realistic 
that  she  seemed  to  take  part  in  the  struggle 
between  her  brother  and  his  murderer.  The 
next  morning  she  told  her  friends  and  declared 


TELEPATHY. 


107 


that  she  knew  that  her  brother  had  been  killed. 
Shortly  thereafter  she  received  a  message  telling 
her  that  her  brother  was  dead,  having  been  mur¬ 
dered  in  his  own  house  upon  his  ranch.  The 
sister  sent  a  description  of  the  man  she  had  seen 
commit  the  murder  in  her  dream  to  the  sheriff 
of  the  county,  who  recognized  from  the  descrip¬ 
tion  one  of  several  persons  and  arreste'd  him. 
It  seems  that  this  dream  must  have  been  due 
to  Thought  Transference.  Doubtless  many 
messages  come  to  us  in  this  manner  that  are 
not  interpreted,  although  we  have  a  feeling  of 
uneasiness  and  apprehension. 

Experiments  are  easily  made  upon  sleeping 
subjects  which  certainly  prove  that  external  in¬ 
fluences  of  various  sorts  make  impressions  upon 
sleepers  and  direct  their  dreams.  It  is  well 
known  that  a  person  sleeping  in  a  cold  draught 
of  air  is  likely  to  dream  of  experiences  in  cold 
environments,  as  being  out  on  a  bleak  prairie 
or  in  an  exposed  position.  Another  experi¬ 
ment  often  made  is  the  playing  of  music  in  the 
presence  of  sleeping  persons  and  afterwards 
awakening  and  asking  them  of  what  they  have 
been  dreaming.  Almost  invariably  they  tell  of 
having  dreamed  of  attending  a  concert,  opera 
or  some  musical  entertainment. 

It  is  as  easy  to  cause  visual  hallucination  by 


108  the  psychic  and  psychism. 


talking  to  the  sleeper  as  it  is  to  cause  t)ther 
dreams,  but  more  peculiar  instances  of  hallu¬ 
cination  are  those  caused  from  a  distance  by  a 
person  purposely  sending  a  telepathic  message. 
Many  have  made  this  sort  of  experiment,  and 
it  is  made  as  follows : 

Just  before  going  to  sleep  the  sender  or  agent 
strongly  wills  that  during  his  sleep  his  presence 
shall  be  felt  or  seen  by  some  other  person  or 
persons  at  a  distance.  The  result  which  is  fre¬ 
quently  obtained  is,  that  the  distant  sleeper  or 
percipient  either  feels  or  sees  the  outline  or 
image  of  the  agent.  I  am  aware  that  there  is 
another  explanation  for  this  besides  Telepathy, 
namely,  that  it  is  the  astral  body  of  the  agent 
projected  into  the  presence  of  the  percipient,  but 
I  prefer  the  former  explanation.  Thought 
Transference  and  hallucination  admirably  ac¬ 
count  for  all  the  phenomena.  The  phenomena 
o‘f  sleep  will  be  more  fully  discussed  in  the  chap¬ 
ter  on  Sleep  and  Dreams,  so  we  will  pass  on  to 
the  consideration  of  Thought  Transference, 

IN  HYPNOSIS. 

Hypnotism  is  a  great  aid  to  the  study  of  all 
of  the  supersensuous  phenomena,  and  especially 
of  the  study  of  the  phenomena  of  Telepathy. 
In  the  various  states  of  hypnosis  we  find  inti- 


TELEPATHY. 


109 


mations  of  the  explanation  of  the  two  classes  of 
phenomena  recorded  above,  for  hypnosis  fur¬ 
nishes  an  opportunity  to  study  the  operations 
of  the  mind  found  in  no  other  mental  condition. 
Experiments  are  readily  made  with  hypnotized 
subjects,  and  the  results  will  satisfy  the  most 
skeptical  that  Thought  Transference  is  a  fact. 
Hypnotized  persons  frequently  surprise  us  with 
exhibitions  of  Mind  Reading,  Clairvoyance  and 
the  like.  Let  me  cite  such  an  instance. 

One  evening  while  observing  the  effect  of 
music  upon  a  young  lady  in  hypnosis,  I  told 
her  that  a  gentleman  present  had  told  a  very 
humorous  story  and  began  to  laugh  and  she 
joined  me  in  my  pretended  mirth.  Afterward 
when  questioned  about  the  story  she  repeated 
the  story  in  detail  that  she  insisted  she  had 
heard  the  gentleman  tell.  No  story  had  really 
been  told,  but  she  had  read  it  in  the  mind  of 
the  gentleman  who  was  supposed  to  have  told 
it.  It  was  one  of  the  few  stories  that  he  was 
accustomed  to  tell,  and  she  had  never  heard  it. 
Evidently  she  had  read  his  mind,  but  the 
strangest  thing  about  it  was  that  in  her  memory 
ii  had  been  told  in  detail. 

My  experience  with  hypnotic  subjects  has 
been  large.  I  will  recite  the  notes  taken  from 
an  evening’s  experimentation.  There  were 


110  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


present  three  physicians,  a  high  school  super¬ 
intendent,  a  druggist  and  two  ladies.  The  pro¬ 
fessor  was  chosen  as  the  subject  for  the  evening, 
hirst,  experiments  were  made  with  him  in  the 
waking  state,  and  then  they  were  continued 
under  hypnotic  influence. 

The  subject  was  thoroughly  blindfolded  and 
placed  so  that  all  present  could  easily  see  his 
face,  but  at  no  time  was  he  in  contact  with  any 
one.  Then  a  playing  card,  the  three  of  clubs, 
was  placed  against  his  forehead,  partly  under 
the  bandage,  with  its  face  toward  the  company. 
We  waited  in  silence,  looking  at  and  thinking 
of  the  card,  while  he  made  his  mind  passive  and 
receptive,  with  a  view  to  telling  what  the  card 
was.  After  a  couple  of  minutes  he  said': 

“I  do  not  see  anything,  and  I  cannot  think 
of  anything  except  the  three-spot  of  clubs.,, 

The  seven-spot  of  a  red  suit  was  next  placed 
in  the  same  position,  and  after  waiting  a  little 
longer  than  before  he  said : 

“I  can  see  the  card.  It  is  a  red  suit,  but  I 
cannot  tell  whether  it  is  a  heart  or  a  diamond, 
nor  whether  it  is  a  seven  or  an  eight  spot.” 

Two  or  three  other  cards  were  placed  suc¬ 
cessively  in  the  same  position,  but  he  was  un¬ 
able  to  tell  the  suit  or  the  number  of  spots, 
although  he  could  regularly  tell  the  color. 


TELEPATHY. 


Ill 


Wishing  to  see  if  better  results  could  be  ob¬ 
tained  by  the  aid  of  hypnotism,  I  hypnotized 
him  while  he  was  still  blindfolded  and  placed 
him  in  an  easy  chair  with  his  back  to  the  table 
around  which  we  were  seated.  He  went  into 
a  condition  known  as  lucid  lethargy  and  was 
well  aware  of  what  we  were  doing  and  heartily 
carried  out  his  part  of  the  study. 

No  one  present  spoke  a  word  except  the  sub¬ 
ject  and  myself.  The  affair  was  altogether  im¬ 
promptu  and  the  tests  were  as  follows :  Various 
objects  were  placed  noiselessly  upon  the  padded 
table,  and  those  of  us  assembled  about  it  con¬ 
centrated  our  gaze  and  attention  upon  them 
until  he  got  a  mental  impression  of  them.  The 
objects  were  selected  by  any  one  present  hap¬ 
hazard.  Let  me  mention  the  objects  in  detail. 

The  first  object  placed  upon  the  table  was  a 
little  terra-cotta  vase  with  three  looplike  han¬ 
dles,  like  those  upon  a  creamer.  Almost  imme¬ 
diately  the  professor  said : 

“I  see  it;  it  is  a  little  brown  creamer.”  A 
side  view  only  showed  two  of  the  fliree  handles, 
and  it  was  manifest  that  he  got  the  image  of 
the  object  by  Thought  Transference  from  those 
who  were  looking  at  it. 

One  of  the  doctors  then  placed  his  penknife, 
which  had  a  long  black  handle,  upon  the  table. 


112  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


When  asked  what  he  saw,  the  subject  replied: 

“I  see  something  black;  it  is  long  and 
straight.”  The  doctor  at  this  point  partly 
opened  one  of  the  blades  and  at  once  the  sub¬ 
ject  added:  “No,  it  is  not  straight;  it  is  turned 
up  at  one  end.  Oh,  yes,  I  see  what  it  is — it  is 
a  penknife.” 

A  small,  round  call-bell  was  next  placed  upon 
the  table  and  was  at  once  recognized  and  named 
by  the  subject.  In  like  manner,  a  little  salt-bot¬ 
tle,  glass  with  a  silver  top,  filled  with  salt,  was 
quickly  recognized  and  described  as  “a  small 
white  bottle  with  a  silver  top.” 

A  silver  tea-bell  next  found  its  way  upon  the 
table,  and  after  a  little  delay  the  subject  said: 
“I  can  see  it,  but  I  don’t  know  what  it  is.  It 
looks  like  a  morning-glory  with  a  portion  of  the 
stem  attached.”  At  this  juncture  some  one 
quietly  turned  the  bell  so  that  it  lay  upon  its 
side,  and  in  a  moment  the  subject  continued': 
“Oh,  yes,  I  see.  Now,  I  know  what  it  is — it 
is  a  tea-bell.” 

A  book  was  then  placed  upon  the  table,  and 
we  all  expected  he  would  at  once  announce  that 
he  saw  a  book;  but  he  did  not.  For  a  consid¬ 
erable  time  he  remained  silent  as  if  puzzled. 

“What  do  you  see?”  I  finally  asked  him,  and 
he  replied :  “The  only  thing  that  I  can  see  is 
a  stamp.” 


TELEPATHY. 


113 


We  thought  that  he  had  made  a  flat  failure, 
but  the  lady  sitting  opposite  to  me,  without 
speaking,  turned  the  book  over  and  I  saw  that 
it  had  a  library  stamp  stuck  upon  its  back.  So 
1  asked: 

“Where  is  the  stamp  ?” 

“It  is  stuck  on  the  back  of  a  book,”  he  in¬ 
stantly  replied. 

This  led  us  to  believe  that  he  must  have  got¬ 
ten  the  image  of  the  stamp  from  Mrs.  B.,  who 
was  the  only  one  present  who  had  noticed  it 
and  had  turned  the  book  so  that  I  could  see 
it  and  had  called  my  attention  to  it.  So  we  spent 
a  little  time  in  following  out  that  idea,  with 
most  satisfactory  results :  He  could  readily  and 
infallibly  tell  in  what  part  of  the  room  Mrs.  B. 
was,  although  she  moved  about  noiselessly, 
while  the  rest  of  us  made  plenty  of  noise  and 
carried  on  animated  discussions. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  add  anything  to  the 
above  notes.  They  tell  their  own  story,  and 
to  my  mind  can  only  be  explained  upon  the 
hypothesis  of  Telepathy  or  Clairvoyance. 

Delayed  perception  was  in  several  instances 
observed,  for  instance,  when  we  were  about  to 
change  the  subject,  indeed,  in  one  instance  had 
changed  it,  he  suddenly  definitely  saw  its 
image  and  positively  stated  what  it  was.  If  the 


1 14  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


transfer  of  thought  depends  upon  the  subcon¬ 
scious  mind  this  delay  is  easily  accounted  for ; 
otherwise  it  is  not. 

Apparently  better  results  are  obtained  with 
a  hypnotized  subject,  and  doubtless  this  is  be¬ 
cause  the  subject  in  hypnosis  can  to  a  greater 
degree  disregard  outside  distracting  influences 
and  become  more  passive  and  receptive. 

A  peculiar  thing  about  the  evening’s  study 
was  the  feeling  that  Professor  S.  had  about  it 
subsequently.  A  month  or  two  later  he  was 
inclined  to  doubt  the  whole  matter,  and  said 
that  he  thought  that  we  could  easily  explain  it 
all  if  we  only  knew  enough.  I  am  of  the  same 
opinion  about  the  explanation,  but  I  feel  cer¬ 
tain  that  the  explanation  would  be  none  other 
than  Telepathy. 

Many  experimenters  have  investigated  the 
subject  of  hypnotizing  by  Thought  Transfer¬ 
ence — i.  e.,  hypnotizing  a  subject  at  a  distance 
or  beyond  the  reach  of  sense  communication, 
and  have  succeeded  to  a  remarkable  degree. 
Mv  own  attempts  along  this  line  have  not  been 
as  successful  as  I  could  have  wished;  however, 
I  have  found  indications  of  partial  success  in 
a  number  of  instances.  Let  me  cite  one.  One 
evening  several  years  ago  in  the  presence  of  one 
of  my  classes  I  attempted  to  bring  one  of  the 


TELEPATHY. 


115 


absent  members  of  the  class  by  a  mental  com¬ 
mand  and  afterwards  learned  that  he  had  the 
following  experience.  At  about  eight  o’clock, 
the  hour  of  the  experiment,  he  suddenly  re¬ 
membered  that  it  was  the  hour  for  the  meeting 
of  his  class,  and  he  went  to  the  elevator  and 
asked  the  time.  He  lived  about  a  mile  from  my 
rooms  and  knew  that  he  could  not  arrive 
until  very  late,  so  although  he  had  a  strong  in¬ 
clination  to  come,  he  finally  decided  not  to  do 
so.  It  appears  that  the  mental  command 
reached  him,  but  he  did  not  obey.  Perhaps  if 
we  had  continued  the  command  the  result  would 
have  been  different. 

Persons  who  succeed  best  in  Mental  Teleg¬ 
raphy  are  those  who  are  naturally,  or  by  train¬ 
ing,  Psychics.  The  Trance  Mediums  are  all 
Psychics  and  are  able  to  interpret  the  telepathic 
messages  sent  to  them  from  other  minds.  Prob¬ 
ably  the  reason  that  most  of  us  fail  in  our  at¬ 
tempts  to  make  practical  use  of  Telepathy  is 
because  we  are  unable  to  interpret  the  mes¬ 
sages  that  reach  our  minds.  Many  persons 
admit  that  they  have  felt  certain  peculiar  im¬ 
pressions  and  some  presentiment  of  evil  at  the 
time  of  accidents  to  their  friends,  but  while  they 
were  uneasy  and  anxious  they  were  unable  to 
interpret  the  messages  that  were  doubtless  sent, 


116  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


These  messages  are  probably  stored  in  the  sub¬ 
conscious  minds  of  the  receivers  and  when  they 
go  to  Mind  Readers  these  facts  or  messages  are 
readily  secured  and  interpreted  for  them.  In¬ 
direct  messages  are  obtained  in  this  way:  A 
sends  a  message  to  B,  who  afterwards  goes  to 
C  for  a  reading,  and  C  reads  the  message, 
thereby  gaining  knowledge  of  what  was  appar¬ 
ently  known  only  by  A.  This  is  what  is  called 
Telepathie  a  trois,  or  Telepathy  by  three.  You 
will  see  that  these  facts  offer  the  explanation  of 
many  of  the  phenomena  of  Spiritism,  which  will 
be  discussed  in  the  subsequent  chapter. 

Many  other  experiments  made  in  Thought 
Transference  might  be  added,  but  it  is  thought 
that  the  above  will  suffice,  for  it  will  be  further 
illustrated  in  the  discussion  of  Clairvoyance  and 
Clairaudience,  to  follow  immediately.  The  phe¬ 
nomena  of  the  supersensuous  faculties  can  only 
with  difficulty  be  separated,  they  are  so  inti¬ 
mately  related. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


CLAIRVOYANCE  AND  CLAIRAUDIENCE. 

Clairvoyance  and  Clairaudience  real  facts — The  avenues 
which  lead  to  the  mind — Sense  perceptions  depend¬ 
ent  upon  the  mind — The  seen  and  the  unseen  relative 
terms — The  impenetrability  of  matter  and  the  X- 
ray — Clairvoyance  and  Clairaudience  in  con¬ 
scious  states — The  phenomena  intimately  related 
with  Telepathy — Natural  and  developed  power — The 
Author’s  experience — A  Clairvoyant  reading  veri¬ 
fied — Clairvoyance  and  Clairaudience  in  the 
subconscious  state — Intentional  and  unintentional 
experiences — The  subconscious  states — Experiments 
with  hypnotized  subjects — A  young  man  sent  to 
Cuba — A  young  lady  sent  home — A  trip  to  South 
Africa — Describes  a  battle — She  tells  the  time — 
Conclusion. 

These  subjects  are  so  similar  and  closely  re¬ 
lated  that  it  seems  best  to  consider  them  to¬ 
gether.  Little  is  known  about  them,  so  little 
indeed  that  Clairvoyance  and  Clairaudience  are 
thought  by  some  to  be  simply  names.  How- 

117 


113  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


ever,  they  are  real  facts,  as  the  large  amount 
of  phenomena  which  they  have  produced  clearly 
shows.  It  will  be  worth  while  to  carefully  re¬ 
view  the  phenomena  and  satisfy  ourselves  that 
it  is  abundant  and  sufficient. 

The  physical  senses  are  not  the  only  avenues 
which  lead  to  the  mind;  there  are  many  other 
portals  that  may  be  unbarred  and  opened.  Open 
wide  the  windows  of  your  soul,  let  in  the  light 
from  every  source.  The  narrow  apertures  oi 
the  physical  senses  are  too  meager  to  let  in  the 
whole  truth,  and  anything  less  will  not  satisfy 
the  longings,  aspirations  and  hopes  of  the 
human  soul. 

The  eyes  do  not  see ;  it  is  the  mind  behind 
them  that  sees ;  the  ears  do  not  hear,  it  is 
the  mind  behind  their  mechanism  that  hears. 
The  eyes  recognize  the  waves  of  light  and  the 
ear  detects  the  vibrations  of  sound,  but  they  do 
not  limit  the  range  of  sight  or  hearing.  An 
object  that  has  passed  beyond  the  range  of  the 
unaided  eye  can  be  plainly  brought  into  view 
by  the  use  of  a  telescope;  likewise,  an  object  too 
small  to  be  seen  by  the  unaided  eye  may  be 
clearly  seen  and  studied  with  the  aid  of  the 
microscope.  The  sound  that  is  beyond  the 
range  of  the  unaided  ear  can  be  plainly  heard 
by  means  of  an  audiphone.  This  would  seem  . 


CLAIRVOYANCE. 


119 


to  prove  that  sight  and  hearing  both  depend 
upon  the  delicacy  of  the  receiving  instruments. 
If  the  instruments  were  keen  enough  no  ray  of 
light  would  be  too  small  to  be  detected  or  no 
sound  too  faint  to  be  heard.  Is  not  the  mind 
in  its  immediate  perception  unhampered  by  the 
physical  senses  subtle  enough  to  meet  these  re¬ 
quirements  ? 

It  is  plain  that  the  seen  and  the  unseen  are 
simply  relative  terms.  What  may  be  unseen  by 
me  may  be  plainly  seen  by  another.  What  I  am 
unable  to  see  with  unaided  vision  can  be  brought 
into  view  by  the  aid  of  instruments,  the  same 
is  true  of  hearing,  the  unheard  may  become 
heard  under  other  conditions.  The  vibrations 
of  light  and  sound  do  not  stop  where  our  ordi¬ 
nary  powers  to  detect  them  fail,  but  they  go 
on  and  on.  In  childhood  we  were  told  that  the 
waves  started  by  a  stone  thrown  into  the  water 
near  the  shore,  would  go  on  and  on  until  they 
broke  against  the  distant  shore,  though  it  were 
thousands  of  miles  away.  Is  it  not  equally  true 
that  the  waves  of  light  and  sound  when  started 
go  on  and  on  until  they  break  upon  the  shores 
of  eternity? 

The  recent  discovery  of  the  X-ray  has  re¬ 
vealed  the  existence  of  a  subtle  ether  by  means 
of  which  the  rays  of  light  may  be  made  to  pene- 


120  the  psychic  and  psychism. 


trate  so-called  opaque  bodies.  Indeed,  the  the¬ 
ory  of  impenetrability  of  matter  no  longer  holds, 
according  to  many  scientists.  By  means  of 
some  such  subtle  ether  thought  waves  are  car¬ 
ried  from  mind  to  mind  across  wide  distances 
of  space,  and  messages  are  intelligently  sent  and 
received  by  Telepathy.  Is  it  not  possible,  not 
to  say  probable,  that  light  waves  and  sound 
waves  may  be  conveyed  by  a  similar  if  not  the 
same  ether  across  like  distances?  Whether  we 
adopt  such  a  theory  or  not,  the  fact  of  seeing 
and  hearing  by  some  means  beyond  the  range 
of  the  physical  senses  is  indubitable.  We  are 
aware  that  discarnate  spirit  communications  are 
offered  as  explanations  of  these  phenomena,  and 
a  discussion  of  them  will  be  given  in  the  chapter 
on  Spiritism. 

A  study  of  the  phenomena  of  Clairvoyance 
and  Clairaudience  will  aid  in  reaching  a  more 
or  less  satisfactory  conclusion  as  to  what  expla¬ 
nation  should  be  accepted.  The  phenomena  in 
question  naturally  arrange  themselves  in  two 
groups,  for  part  of  them  is  produced  while  the 
mind  is  in  an  ordinary  conscious  condition  and 
another  part  of  them  is  produced  when  the  mind 
is  in  a  subconscious  condition.  And  so  we  will 
divide  the  subject  into  these  two  groups,  namely, 
i.  The  phenomena  produced  by  persons  in 


CLAIRVOYANCE. 


conscious  states,  and  2.  The  phenomena  pro¬ 
duced  by  persons  in  subconscious  states. 

IN  CONSCIOUS  STATES. 

The  phenomena  of  Clairvoyance  and  Clair- 
audience  are  so  intimately  associated  and 
blended  with  those  of  Telepathy  that  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  separate  them.  Indeed,  the  rela¬ 
tionship  is  so  close  that  many  are  inclined  to 
believe  that  they  are  all  due  to  Thought  Trans¬ 
ference.  It  is  easy  to  see  how  this  miscon¬ 
ception  has  arisen  after  a  study  of  Telepathy 
such  as  we  have  made.  It  was  shown  that  many 
thought  communications  were  received  in  visual 
or  auditory  forms.  Not  infrequently  the  visions 
are  allegorical  in  Thought  Transference — that 
is,  the  transference  of  a  picture  of  the  ten-spot 
of  diamonds  would  not  be  a  card  with  red 
diamond-shaped  spots,  but  as  likely  as  not  a 
series  of  real  diamonds  arranged  in  that  order. 
That  is  not  true  of  Clairvoyance;  the  picture  is 
usually  quite  natural  and  lifelike  unless,  as  some¬ 
times  occurs,  there  is  a  blending  of  Telepathy 
and  Clairvoyance. 

Psychics  who  have  clairvoyant  powers  are  of 
two  classes,  called  natural  and  developed.  The 
natural  Clairvoyant  is  one  who  has  stumbled 
upon  the  power  and  understands  little  of  the 


I 


122  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 

law  underlying  it  or  the  means  of  controlling 
it.  He  is  as  much  or  more  surprised  at  his 
marvelous  power  than  his  friends,  and  usually 
runs  off  to  some  one  who  is  supposed  to  know 
to  find  out  about  it.  The  developed  Clairvoyant 
is  quite  a  different  character.  He  has  acquired 
his  psychic  power  by  patient  persevering  prac¬ 
tice  and  knows  how  to  control  and  use  it. 

Clairvoyant  power  is  not  limited  to  the  per¬ 
sons  who  bear  the  name ;  indeed,  it  is  quite 
common  in  others,  so  common  that  almost  every 
one  sometime,  somewhere,  has  had  an  example 
of  it  in  his  own  experience.  Let  me  relate  such 
an  experience  that  occurred  to  me  last  summer. 

One  Sunday  evening,  having  retired  very 
early,  I  was  lying  in  a  meditative  mood  when 
suddenly  I  saw  clearly  a  young  lady  acquain¬ 
tance  sitting  at  a  table  writing.  I  recognized 
her  and  decided  that  she  was  at  that  moment 
writing  to  me  and  I  had  seen  her  and  known 
it,  although  she  was  in  a  city  seven  hundred 
miles  away.  In  the  morning  I  said  to  my  par¬ 
ents,  with  whom  I  was  visiting  at  the  time: 

“I  will  do  a  mystery  for  you/’ 

“Well,  what  is  it?”  my  father  inquired. 

“I  will  predict  the  receipt  of  a  letter  from 
Chicago,  which  will  arrive  tomorrow,  Tuesday, 
afternoon.” 


CLAIRVOYANCE. 


123 


“Perhaps  you  have  an  appointment  with  some' 
one  to  write  to  you  so  that  it  will  arrive  at  that 
time,”  my  mother  suggested. 

“No,”  was  the  reply;  “I  have  not  heard  from 
the  young  lady  for  several  weeks,  and  have  no 
appointment  to  write.” 

“Well,  then,  how  do  you  know?”  was  asked. 

“I  had  a  clairvoyant  vision  last  night,”  I  re¬ 
plied.  Then  I  told  them  just  how  the  vision 
occurred,  and  also  mentioned  the  name  of  the 
lady  who  was  to  write. 

Tuesday  came,  but  brought  no  letter,  and 
I  was  heartily  laughed  at  by  my  parents,  who 
were  skeptical  about  such  things.  Two  days 
later  I  received  a  letter  from  the  lady,  in  which 
she  wrote:  “I  have  tried  several  times,”  she 
said,  “to  write  to  you  lately,  but  have  not  suc¬ 
ceeded  in  doing  so  until  now.” 

A  few  days  later  I  returned  to  Chicago,  and 
shortly  thereafter  met  the  young  lady  in  question 
and  she  asked  me  if  I  had  received  her  letter  • 
before  my  return,  and  I  replied : 

“Yes,  I  received  the  letter  you  wrote  on  Tues¬ 
day,  but  not  the  one  you  wrote  on  Sunday  night. 

I  suppose  you  tore  that  one  up.” 

“How  do  you  know  that  I  wrote  to  you  on 
Sunday  night?”  she  asked,  in  evident  amaze¬ 
ment. 


124  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


“Oh,  I  just  know/’  I  laughingly  replied;  but 
she  would  not  be  satisfied  until  I  had  explained 
the  whole  matter  to  her.  She  admitted  that  she 
had  written  Sunday  night,  as  I  had  clairvoy- 
antly  known. 

The  above  is  a  fair  sample  of  spontaneous 
Clairvoyance.  The  trained  Psychic  who  has  ob¬ 
tained  control  of  his  mental  faculties  by  sitting 
in  the  silence  or  some  other  method  described 
in  the  previous  chapters  could  do  intentionally 
what  I  did  accidentally.  I  have  had  sittings 
with  a  considerable  number  of  so-called  Inde¬ 
pendent  Clairvoyants,  with  various  results.  For 
the  most  part  their  readings  consisted  of  the 
combined  use  of  Telepathy,  Clairvoyance  and 
Psychometry,  but  a  few  were  true  Clairvoyants. 
I  recall  one  experiment  that  was  made  for  the 
purpose  of  verifying  the  reading.  It  was  as  fol¬ 
lows  : 

Something  over  a  year  ago,  when  doing  an 
errand  in  a  distant  part  of  the  city  I  was 
reminded  that  I  was  near  the  home  of  a  promi¬ 
nent  Clairvoyant  and  decided  to  consult  her.  I 
went  to  her  residence  and  asked  for  a  sitting, 
which  was  granted.  Without  telling  my  name 
or  residence  or  giving  any  clue  as  to  my  iden¬ 
tity  I  seated  myself  in  her  consultation  room. 
She  asked  for  my  handkerchief  or  a  glove,  and 


CLAIRVOYANCE. 


125 


upon  receiving  and  holding  my  handkerchief  she 
readily  told  me  all  about  myself.  I  knew  my 
history  already  and  wanted  something  more,  so 
I  asked  her  to  locate  a  friend  of  mine  who  was 
traveling  in  Iowa  and  tell  me  what  he  was  doing 
at  the  present  hour.  She  asked  me  if  I  had 
anything  about  me  that  he  had  owned  or  car¬ 
ried.  I  had  a  small  leather  card-case  that  had 
been  his,  for  we  had  exchanged  card-cases 
shortly  before  he  went  away.  I  handed  her  the 
card-case  and  after  a  few  moments’  meditation 
she  announced  that  she  saw  him. 

“He  is  in  an  hotel  sitting  in  a  small  bedroom 
writing.  I  will  describe  him  and  the  room  for 
you,”  she  said. 

She  gave  a  good  description  of  my  friend  and 
said  the  room  was  a  small,  plainly  furnishd  one, 
and  that  it  contained  only  one  picture,  and  that 
one  was  an  unframed  campaign  picture  of  Mc¬ 
Kinley. 

“He  has  finished  writing;  he  was  writing  a 
letter  to  you;  I  can  see  your  name  on  the 
envelope  that  he  has  just  addressed  and  sealed,” 
she  continued. 

I  asked  her  to  watch  him  for  a  few  minutes 
and  tell  me  what  he  did.  She  did  so,  and  in¬ 
formed  me  that  he  was  leaning  back  in  his  chair 
with  his  feet  upon  the  table,  smoking.  That  was 
just  like  him. 


126  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


“He  has  called  to  some  one  to  come  in,”  she 
resumed,  after  a  brief  pause.  “A  short,  middle- 
aged  gentleman  has  entered  the  room.  He  is 
carrying  a  gun-case  and  asked  your  friend  if  he 
is  ready.  He  answers  ‘yes,’  and  has  gotten  up 
and  picked  up  his  hat  and  gun-case,  which  were 
on  the  table.  They  have  gone  out  and  closed 
the  door  of  the  room.” 

I  determined  to  verify  her  statements  and 
wrote  my  friend  a  letter  as  soon  as  I  reached 
home,  asking  him  to  tell  me  what  he  did  imme¬ 
diately  after  writing  me  a  letter  that  day.  The 
letter  that  she  said  he  had  written  came  to  me 
the  next  day  and  a  few  days  later  I  received 
another  letter  answering  my  enquiries  from 
which  I  give  an  extract  below: 

“I  do  not  know  why  you  want  to  know  what 
I  was  doing  the  other  day  and  much  less  do  I 
know  how  you  became  informed  that  I  had 
written  you  a  letter,  for  I  am  not  a  very  regular 
correspondent.  I  suppose  it  is  one  of  your 
everlasting  experiments,  so  it  is  all  right,  old 
fellow.  Let  me  see,  after  writing  your  letter  I 
sat  and  smoked  for  awhile  and  waited  for  an 
acquaintance  who  was  coming  for  me  to  go 
chicken  shooting  with  him.  I  did  not  have  to 
wait  long  for  he  was  on  time,  two  o’clock,  and 
then  I  took  my  gun  and  your  letter  and  we 
went  out  together. 


CLAIRVOYANCE. 


127 


“About  the  pictures  upon  the  walls  of  my 
room,  it  will  be  easy  to  reply,  for  there  are 
none — well,  that  is  no  framed  pictures,  but 
there  is  an  old,  dilapidated  campaign  picture  of 
McKinley.  By  the  way,  your  description  of  my 
acquaintance  was  very  good,  how  did  you  get 
it?  We  had  some  good  shooting;  I  wish  you 
had  been  along,  for  you  would  have  enjoyed  it.” 

The  above  experiment  gives  good  ground  for 
the  belief  in  the  reality  of  Clairvoyance  and 
Clairaudience,  for  the  woman  evidently  saw  and 
heard  what  she  described  to  me,  as  my  verifica¬ 
tion  conclusively  proves. 

IN  SUBCONSCIOUS  STATES. 

Clairvoyants  often  fall  into  trances  or  into 
more  or  less  subconscious  conditions.  The 
trained  Clairvoyant  does  this  at  will  but  others 
have  unintentional  experiences.  Some  persons 
during  sleep  have  dreams  of  a  Clairvoyant  or 
a  Clairaudient  nature,  but  to  Sleep  and  Dreams 
a  special  chapter  will  be  allotted.  Let  it  suffice 
here  to  say  that  such  experiences  are  not  unlike 
those  which  occur  in  trances.  The  somnam¬ 
bulist  or  sleepwalker  performs  feats  with  closed 
eyes  which  go  far  to  prove  that  Clairvoyance 
is  a  fact,  but  these  too  must  be  reserved  for 
another  chapter. 


128  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


Hypnotics  while  in  a  state  of  hypnosis  not  in¬ 
frequently  develop  Clairvoyant  and  Clairaudient 
powers.  These  may  be  readily  and  critically 
studied  under  the  most  careful  test  conditions. 
As  examples  and  accounts  of  experiments  are 
more  interesting  and  convincing  than  theoretical 
discussions,  several  such  experiments  will  be 
related. 

One  evening  last  winter  a  young  man  whom 
I  had  made  some  experiments  with  previously, 
was  hypnotized  and  directed  to  go  to  Washing¬ 
ton  and  call  upon  the  President  and  tell  us 
what  he  was  doing  at  the  time. 

“I  see  him,”  he  said  after  a  little  pause,  “but 
that  guy  over  there  has  his  eyes  on  me,”  he 
continued. 

“Who  do  you  mean?”  was  asked. 

“Why,  that  porter  over  there — he  knows  I 
have  no  business  in  here.” 

“Never  mind  him,  just  observe  the  President 
and  see  what  he  is  doing  and  hear  what  he 
says,”  he  was  instructed. 

“The  President  is  sitting  there  with  two 
other  gentlemen;  he  is  reading  a  cablegram.” 

“What  does  the  cablegram  contain?  Read  it 
for  us,”  he  was  instructed. 

“I  cannot  read  it ;  it  is  in  cypher,  but  I  heard 
the  President  say  that  it  is  unofficial,”  he  replied. 


CLAIRVOYANCE. 


129 


It  was  impossible  to  verify  his  statements 
with  reference  to  the  President,  but  other  state¬ 
ments  made  a  few  minutes  later  were  verified 
in  due  time.  The  experiments  were  made  dur¬ 
ing  the  Spanish-American  war,  at  the  time 
when  the  whereabouts  of  Cervera’s  fleet  was 
unknown  and  there  was  considerable  anxiety 
about  the  matter.  The  subject  was  instructed 
to  go  to  Cuba  and  locate  the  fleet.  After  a  little 
hesitation  he  announced  that  he  saw  them  and 
explained  that  the  Spanish  Fleet  was  in  San¬ 
tiago  Bay  and  that  the  American  Fleet  was 
anchored  in  the  open  sea  outside.  Events  a  few 
days  later  proved  the  truth  of  his  statements. 
After  coming  out  of  his  hypnotic  trance  he  had 
no  memory  of  what  he  had  seen,  heard  or  said, 
as  is  usually  the  case  in  profound  hypnosis. 

One  more  experiment  made  and  verified  quite 
recently  will  suffice  to  illustrate  our  contention. 
A  young  lady  who  had  become  much  interested 
in  Psychic  matters  wished  to  be  hypnotized  and 
if  possible  allowed  to  visit  her  home,  in  a  city 
over  four  hundred  miles  distant,  while  in  hyp¬ 
nosis.  She  was  hypnotized  and  proved  to  be 
a  very  sensitive  person.  She  readily  visited  her 
home  and  evinced  a  lively  interest  in  things  and 
persons  found  there.  She  held  an  extended  con¬ 
versation  with  her  mother  and  fell  into  a  heated 


130  the  psychic  and  psychism. 


argument  with  some  ladies  who  were  at  the 
time  making  her  mother  a  call. 

The  mother  and  the  callers  were  preparing  to 
go  to  a  musical  recital.  She  observed  and  made 
remarks  about  the  waist  her  mother  wore  on  the 
occasion ;  it  was  a  lavender  colored  silk 
with  white  polka  dots.  The  young  lady  in¬ 
quired  about  the  programme  and  learned  the 
several  numbers  that  were  to  be  rendered  and 
made  comments  favorable  or  unfavorable  upon 
each  and  finally  decided  she  did  not  care  to  at¬ 
tend  the  function.  The  names  of  the  persons 
who  were  to  take  part  in  the  programme  we 
learned  from  her  conversation  with  her  mother 
to  be  as  follows: 

Irirst,  Mrs.  J.  was  to  sing  a  solo;  Mr.  G. 
was  down  for  a  select  reading;  Mrs.  B.  was  to 
sing  a  song,  and  Mr.  C.  was  to  render  some  of 
his  characteristic  negro  selections. 

At  my  suggestion  the  young  lady  remem¬ 
bered  all  of  her  conversations  and  experiences 
while  in  the  hypnosis.  The  following  morning 
she  wrote  her  mother,  making  inquiries  about 
her  doings  upon  the  night  of  her  experiment, 
but  before  receiving  the  latter  the  mother  wrote, 
incidentally,  telling  just  what  we  wanted  to 
know.  The  part  of  the  letter  confirming  our 
experiment  is  given  below  and  is  as  follows ; 


CLAIRVOYANCE. 


131 


“I  am  now  going  to  answer  your  letter  of  last 
Sunday.  You  ask  about  home  news.  Well, 
first  I  must  tell  you  about  a  new  waist  I  have; 
it  is  lavender  with  white  dots,  which  I  think  is 
very  pretty. 

“Mrs.  C.  and  Dodo  were  up  to  spend  the 
afternoon  yesterday  and  took  tea  with  me.  We 
had  a  pleasant  chat  about  you  and  then  went 
to  the  first  benefit  concert  of  the  season.  Mrs. 
J.  sang,  Mr.  G.  read,  Mrs.  B.  sang  too,  and 
Mr.  C’s.  negro  impersonations  were  enjoyed 
very  much.” 

A  good  deal  of  the  above  experiment  might 
be  accounted  for  by  Telepathy,  but  undoubtedly 
a  part  of  it  must  have  been  due  to  Clairvoyance, 
especially  the  part  referring  to  the  mother’s 
dress.  Beside  other  experiments  made  with 
this  subject  certainly  establish  her  Clairvoyant 
power.  Let  me  record  one  more. 

Two  weeks  later  she  expressed  a  wish  to  be 
sent  to  some  unknown  country  and  was  sent  to 
South  Africa  to  learn  about  the  war  between 
the  English  and  the  Boers.  She  went  first  to 
Cape  Town  and  there  attempted  to  make  in¬ 
quiry  as  to  the  location  of  the  seat  of  war  and 
was  much  distressed  at  being  answered  in 
a  foreign  tongue.  She  was  instructed  to  find 
some  one  who  spoke  English  and  inquire  of 


132  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


him,  and  she  did,  learning  that  the  seat  of  war 
was  near  Kimberley.  She  went  to  Kimberley 
and  located  the  contending  armies.  Then  she 
described  in  detail  an  engagement  in  which  the 
Boers  were  first  repulsed  but  later  rallied  and 
defeated  the  English.  This  was  an  unexpected 
report,  for  the  English  had  lately  been  regularly 
victorious.  However,  her  description  and  an¬ 
nouncement  were  confirmed  by  official  reports 
published  two  days  later. 

Many  other  experiments  might  be  recounted 
such  as  telling  the  time  by  an  open-face  watch 
that  no  one  present  had  seen,  when  it  was  placed 
upon  the  top  of  her  head ;  but  it  is  thought  that 
enough  has  been  given  to  prove  the  existence 
of  Independent  Clairvoyance  and  Clairaudience. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


PSYCHOMETRY. 

The  intimate  relationship  between  supersensuous  facul¬ 
ties — Definition  of  Psychometry — Mysterious  consti¬ 
tution  of  nature — Dr.  Brewster  quoted — “The  book 
of  nature” — History  of  Psychometry — The  Psy- 
chometrist’s  development — Psychometry  in  the 
waking  state — Its  application — A  Mineral  Psy- 
chometrist — Psychometry  in  Medicine — An  experi¬ 
ment  with  a  piece  of  wood  from  the  Mount  of 
Olives — Psychometry  deals  only  with  the  past — 
Some  unscrupulous  Psychometrists — Psychometry 
in  Hypnosis — The  states  compared — Experiment 
with  a  souvenir  from  Niagara  Falls — The  Hypnotic 
visits  the  falls — The  Psychic  atmosphere  of  coun¬ 
tries — America’s  position — Psychometry  needs  care¬ 
ful  study  to  place  it  upon  its  proper  footing. 

The  supersensuous  faculties  include  one  more 
member  which  deserves  separate  consideration, 
so  it  is  thought  best  to  give  Psychometry  a 
chapter  by  itself.  The  intimate  relationship  be¬ 
tween  Telepathy,  Clairvoyance  and  Psychometry 
has  led  many  to  consider  them  together  as  dif¬ 
ferent  phases  of  the  same  subject.  It  is  true 
that  Psychometry  is  rarely  observed  alone ;  its 

133 


134  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


phenomena  are  generally  mixed  with  those  of 
the  other  faculties.  However,  it  appears  that 
the  phenomena  peculiar  to  Psychometry  are 
sufficiently  characteristic  to  differentiate  them 
from  Telepathy  and  Clairvoyance.  This  is  espe¬ 
cially  true  in  one  particular,  namely,  that  Clair¬ 
voyance  and  Telepathy  are  chiefly  concerned 
with  messages  from  persons  while  Psychometry 
concerned  itself  chiefly  with  things. 

Psychometry  may  be  defined  as  mind  or  soul 
measurement,  but  it  would  be  better  to  change 
the  word  measurement  to  read  interpretation. 
The  Psychometrist  is  a  person  who  is  able  to 
divine,  by  physical  contact  or  proximity  the 
character  and  history  of  a  thing  and  the  things 
by  which  it  has  been  environed ;  that  is,  to  give 
the  whole  history  of  the  thing  from  the  vibratory 
influences  that  emanate  from  it.  For  him  the 
past  and  the  present  are  alike  open  books.  The 
keenness  of  his  perception  is  phenomenal  and  as 
we  think  of  it  we  are  forced  to  say  with  the 
prophet  of  old  that  man  is  made  in  the  image 
of  God  and  is  only  limited  by  his  own  ignorance. 

The  marvelous  power  of  man  is  little  more 
wonderful  than  the  mysterious  constitution  of 
nature.  That  all  experiences  leave  their  indeli¬ 
ble  impressions  upon  man  so  that  he  is  at  any 
stage  of  his  development  a  living  history  of  his 


PSYCHOMETRY. 


135 


past  does  not  seem  so  wonderful  as  the  fact  that 
so  called  inanimate  things  carry  with  them  a 
similar  historical  record.  When  the  Psychom- 
etrist  picks  up  a  bit  of  stone,  wood  or  shell,  his 
sensitive  perception  reads  a  historical  record 
which  the  subject  contains.  The  means  and 
manner  of  recording  this  history  is  well  ex¬ 
plained  by  Doctor  Brewster,  who  says : 

“All  bodies  throw  off  emanations  in  greater 
or  less  size  and  with  greater  or  less  velocities ; 
these  particles  enter  more  or  less  into  the  pores 
of  solid  and  fluid  bodies,  sometimes  resting  upon 
their  surface,  and  sometimes  permeating  them 
altogether.  These  emanations,  when  feeble, 
show  themselves  in  images ;  when  stronger,  in 
chemical  changes ;  when  stronger  still,  in  their 
action  on  the  olfactory  nerves ;  and  when 
thrown  off  most  copiously  and  rapidly,  in  heat 
affecting  the  nerves  of  touch ;  in  photographic 
action,  dissevering  and  recombining  the  ele¬ 
ments  of  nature ;  and  in  phosphorescent  and 
luminous  emanations,  exciting  the  retina  and 
producing  vision.” 

These  peculiar  emanations  and  registrations 
continue  their  operations  day  and  night  and  have 
been  doing  so  since  the  beginning  of  things. 
They  faithfully  photograph  others  and  are  as 
faithfully  photographed  by  others.  So  that  each 


136  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


has  a  complete  and  accurate  history  of  all  that 
has  happened  to  it  and  near  it.  Nature  by  this 
means  becomes  in  truth  a  “book  of  nature,”  and 
he  who  is  the  true  naturalist  is  the  one  who  can 
read  these  records  of  the  past.  “Communing 
with  nature”  means  something  to  the  person 
who  understands  nature’s  power  of  communi¬ 
cation  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  many  who  have 
communed  with  nature  have  been  able  to  talk 
and  write  as  if  inspired;  they  were  inspired. 
Places  and  things  become  more  important  when 
we  know  that  every  stone,  brick  and  window- 
pane  carries  a  record  of  the  past  and  if  they 
could  speak  to  us  they  would  be  constantly 
telling  us  of  things  many  of  which  have  faded 
from  the  tablets  of  memory.  The  walls  of  the 
nursery  in  the  old  homestead  would  sing  over 
again  to  us  the  lullabys  that  our  sweet  mother’s 
voice  crooned  to  us  in  our  childhood  days.  Do 
not  these  things  explain  how  it  is  that  some 
authors  are  able  to  write  of  the  secrets  of  na¬ 
ture?  They  have  simply  gotten  into  tune  with 
nature,  and  have  been  able  to  catch  her  vibra¬ 
tions  and  translate  them  into  sweet  melodies. 
The  poet  of  nature  sings  the  harmonies  he  hears, 
nothing  more. 

The  history  of  Psychometry  as  a  science  is 
brief,  for  only  a  few  years  have  passed  since  its 


PSYCHOMETRY. 


137 


discovery,  however,  the  history  is  much  shorter 
than  the  facts,  for  it  has  existed  from  the  be¬ 
ginning  of  time.  It  was  discovered  by  Professor 
Denton,  who  found  a  Sensitive  in  his  wife.  When 
a  piece  of  rock  was  placed  in  the  lady’s  hand  she 
was  able  to  interpret  its  geologic  history 
and  describe  and  draw  pictures  of  the  animals 
living  at  the  place  and  time  of  its  formation. 
The  animals  were  unknown  to  natural  history 
when  the  lady’s  descriptions  were  given,  but 
fossil  remains  have  been  found  since  which  ver¬ 
ify  her  statements.  Many  other  investigators 
have  experimented  with  Sensitives  since  and 
their  results  serve  to  confirm  the  conclusions 
reached  by  Professor  Denton.  The  facts  of 
Psychometry  have  remained  much  the  same,  but 
their  application  has  been  greatly  extended 
since  that  time.  The  Psychometrist  now  finds 
many  applicants  for  his  services  and  he  usually 
gives  value  received  for  his  fees.  His  work  is 
not  only  interesting  and  wonderful,  but  it  is  also 
useful. 

The  Psychometrist,  like  other  Psychics,  is  the 
result  of  development.  Natural  endowment  has 
much  to  do  with  the  development,  sometimes 
very  little  effort  or  practice  is  sufficient  to  enable 
him  to  become  a  Sensitive.  Undoubtedly  all 
have  more  or  less  psychometric  powers,  that  is, 


138  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


are  sensitive  to  vibratory  impressions  which 
come  from  places  and  things,  and  if  they  took 
the  trouble  to  study  themselves  they  would  ap¬ 
preciate  this  fact.  It  is  true  that  places  and 
things  have  tendencies  to  stimulate  or  depress 
us,  and  it  is  fair  to  suppose  that  these  tendencies 
are  due  to  the  vibratory  emanations  from  them. 
The  world  is  everywhere  vocal  with  messages 
for  him  who  has  ears  to  hear  and  the  meaning 
of  Psychometry  will  be  understood  when  man 
learns  to  attend  to  these  voices. 

Hypnotism  furnishes  a  means  of  developing 
psychometric  power,  as  has  often  been  shown  by 
experimentation.  Hypnotics  often  surprise  us 
by  exhibiting  these  supersensuous  faculties. 
Most  of  the  experience  that  I  have  had  with 
Psychometry  has  been  had  with  persons  in 
hypnosis,  some  of  which  will  be  recorded  pres¬ 
ently.  First,  let  us  consider  the  phenomena 
observed 

IN  THE  WAKING  STATE. 

The  basis  and  history  of  Psychometry  would 
seem  to  promise  a  wide  usefulness  for  it.  Psy- 
chometrists  themselves  see  no  limit  to  its  ap¬ 
plication.  In  minerology  and  mining  it  would 
seem  to  be  of  considerable  value ;  experiments 
show  that  a  psychometric  reading  of  a  specimen 


PSYCHOMETRY. 


139 


from  a  lead  will  not  only  give  the  value  and 
character  of  the  ore  it  contains,  but  also  describe 
the  direction  of  the  vein  and  locate  deposits. 
However,  it  is  manifest  that  a  knowledge  of 
minerology  and  mining  must  be  added  to  the 
Sensitive’s  power,  otherwise  the  expediency  of 
working  the  lead  might  not  be  justified  by  the 
output.  A  number  of  cases  of  these  mineral 
Psychometrists  are  on  record;  recently  my  at¬ 
tention  was  called  to  one  of  unusual  interest. 
The  lady  could  not  only  describe  the  lead  and 
value  from  a  specimen  but  was  peculiarly  af¬ 
fected  when  walking  upon  a  ledge  containing 
ore.  The  first  sensation  felt  was  a  weakness  in 
the  knees,  followed  by  a  loss  of  the  power  of 
locomotion,  then  a  loss  of  the  power  of  speech, 
and  finally  a  loss  of  consciousness  if  she  con¬ 
tinued  upon  the  ledge.  The  degree  of  the  influ¬ 
ence  was  in  proportion  to  the  richness  of  the 
ledge  in  mineral.  Mr.  A.  T.  Robinson,  who  de¬ 
scribes  the  case,  says: 

“In  reading  a  piece  of  ore  an  electric  or 
magnetic  current  seems  to  travel  from  the  ore 
up  to  the  brain.  If  the  ore  be  very  rich  the 
current  is  correspondingly  strong  and  vice 
versa.  The  currents  from  various  pieces  of  ore 
vary  not  only  quantitatively  or  in  strength,  but 
also  qualitatively,  copper  and  lead  ore  producing 


140  the  psychic  and  psychism. 


sensations  very  different  from  those  of  gold,  sil¬ 
ver  or  iron.  The  ‘current,’  when  it  reaches  her 
brain  seems  to  dam  back  for  the  time  the  flood 
of  her  own  thoughts,  so  that,  while  she  is  con¬ 
scious  of  her  environment,  she  is  not  at  liberty 
to  use  her  own  faculties  or  to  utter  anything 
other  than  the  message  given  her.” 

The  above  case,  Madam  X.,  as  she  is  called, 
seems  to  show  the  value  of  a  Sensitive  in  min¬ 
ing  experiments  and  undoubtedly  many  unprof¬ 
itable  mining  ventures  might  be  changed  into 
profitable  ones  by  the  advice  of  such  a  Psy- 
chometrist. 

Much  is  claimed  for  Psychometry  as  an  aid  in 
medicine  and  surgery.  In  the  hands  of  a  com¬ 
petent  Sensitive  it  is  said  to  be  practically  infalli¬ 
ble.  A  lock  of  the  patient’s  hair  is  placed  in  the 
Sensitive’s  hand,  with  the  result  that  he  is  able 
to  give  a  correct  reading  of  the  case.  The  dis¬ 
ease  is  accurately  described,  both  cause  and 
course  being  given  and  a  diagnosis  promptly 
made.  At  least  one  such  case  has  come  under 
my  observation  that  was  afterward  verified.  A 
tubercular  focus  in  the  brain  was  located.  The 
Psychometrist  had  no  knowledge  of  cerebral 
anatomy  and  was  obliged  to  locate  the  focus  by 
telling  its  relative  distances  from  the  surface  of 
the  cranium.  If  this  faculty  can  be  so  developed 


PSYCHOMETRY. 


141 


that  it  may  be  perfectly  controlled  and  relied 
upon  it  would  be  invaluable  in  diagnosis.  It 
looks  as  if  the  mind  is  likely  to  become  more 
penetrating  in  its  perception  than  the  X-Ray, 
the  microscope  or  spectroscope.  Hasten  the 
day ! 

A  piece  of  olive  wood  from  the  Mount  of 
Olives  was  placed  into  the  hand  of  a  young  man 
Sensitive,  who  immediately  began  to  discourse 
upon  the  life  of  Jesus.  He  spoke  of  His  passing 
over  the  hill  on  his  way  to  Bethany,  told  of  His 
eating  and  intercourse  with  the  family  at 
Bethany,  and  then  told  in  some  detail  of  the 
raising  of  Lazarus  from  the  dead.  It  is  possible 
that  this  last  case  may  have  been  telepathic  in 
its  nature,  for  all  of  the  above  data  were  well 
known  to  me.  This  case  illustrates  what  I  have 
often  observed  in  Sensitives,  namely,  that  they 
generally  give  in  their  readings  the  things  that 
seem  most  important  to  them.  The  boy  was  of 
a  religious  character  and  so  the  Christian  asso¬ 
ciations  of  the  piece  of  wood  were  the  ones  that 
were  detailed,  although  there  were  doubtless 
many  other  associations,  that  might  have  been 
revealed. 

The  past  is  all  that  the  Psychometrist  concerns 
himself  with.  For  him  the  past  lives  again  in  the 
present  as  he  reads  the  historical  records.  The 


142  THE  psychic  and  psychism. 


Psychometrist  indulges  in  no  predictions,  or  if 
he  does  he  does  so  on  his  own  responsibility,  for 
the  history  of  the  future  remains  to  be  recorded. 
Many  so  called  Psychometrists  indulge  fn  “for¬ 
tune  telling,”  claiming  to  be  able  to  tell  past, 
present  and  future.  The  past  and  present  may 
be  told  by  the  competent  Sensitive,  but  of  the 
future  no  man  can  speak  with  certainty.  It  is 
always  a  guess  no  matter  who  foretells  it.  To 
the  untaught  it  seems  possible  for  one  who  can 
actually  tell  the  past  and  present  also  to  predict 
the  future,  but  in  the  very  nature  of  the  case 
it  is  impossible  to  foretell  events  where  free 
moral  agency  is  concerned.  The  most  that  can 
be  done  is  to  state  probabilities,  and  a  real  Psy¬ 
chometrist  will  confess  this  fact. 

These  remarks  are  made  because  certain  un¬ 
scrupulous  persons  are  practicing  deception  and 
bringing  Psychometry  into  disrepute.  More 
than  that,  they  often  do  serious  harm  to  those 
who  consult  them  by  inspiring  false  hopes  and 
impossible  expectations.  Naturally  the  one  who 
pays  a  fee  for  a  reading  takes  the  matter  seri¬ 
ously,  and  when  the  past  has  been  faithfully  told 
concludes  that  the  predictions  of  the  future  are 
equally  true.  These  predictions  which  are  sim¬ 
ply  guesses,  at  most,  often  rob  the  unsuspecting 
of  their  peace  of  mind  by  making  them  dissatis- 


TSYCHOMETRY. 


143 


fled  with  their  present  conditions  and  as  uncer¬ 
tain  of  their  future.  These  things  ought  not  to 
so  be.  Now,  let  us  consider  the  phenomena 
produced 

IN  HYPNOSIS. 

Sensitives  developed  by  Hypnotism  do  not 
differ  in  their  results  from  those  developed  by 
other  means  except  in  the  fact  that  they  speak 
while  in  a  hypnotic  trance.  Other  Psychome- 
trists  rarely  if  ever  go  into  trances  to  produce 
their  phenomena;  they  simply  become  passive 
and  sensitive  to  the  vibratory  emanations  from 
objects. 

One  evening  I  placed  a  little  souvenir  from 
Niagara  Falls  into  the  hand  of  a  young  lady 
Sensitive  and  asked  her  to  tell  us  what  impres¬ 
sions  she  felt. 

“It  is  cold  and  wet,”  she  said,  shivering.  “The 
water  comes  down  in  such  great  volumes  that  it 
roars  like  thunder  and  its  spray  is  making  me 
wet,”  and  she  drew  her  skirts  about  her  as  if 
she  were  actually  being  sprinkled  by  the  spray. 

And  then  she  went  on  and  gave  a  description 
of  the  Falls  that  anyone  who  had  seen  them 
would  have  recognized  at  once.  She  spoke  as  if 
she  were  on  the  Canadian  side  below  the  Great 
Horseshoe  Fall,  and  told  of  the  great  height 


144  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


from  which  the  water  fell  and  the  boiling,  seeth¬ 
ing  vortex  into  which  it  plunged.  I  told  her 
that  she  would  remember  the  experience  after 
she  came  out  of  the  hypnosis,  and  when  she 
came  out  of  it  she  said  it  was  a  most  realistic 
experience. 

Some  months  later  she  paid  a  visit  to  Niagara 
Falls  and  at  my  advice  went  to  the  place  where 
she  seemed  to  be  standing  in  her  hypnotic  ex¬ 
perience,  and  subsequently  assured  me  that  the 
scene  from  that  point  was  quite  familiar  to  her 
and  just  what  she  had  seen  while  in  the  hypnosis. 
She  had  never  been  to  the  Falls  before  the  ex¬ 
periment,  but  I  had,  and  it  is  possible  that  she 
got  her  information  by  telepathy  from  me,  but 
wherever  she  got  the  picture  undoubtedly  the 
souvenir  had  some  psychometric  influence  and 
at  least  called  up  the  scene.  Beside,  other  ex¬ 
periments  proved  her  sensitiveness  to  such  im¬ 
pressions. 

Many  other  examples  of  psychometric  power 
are  at  hand  and  might  be  given,  but  they  would 
only  be  repetitions  of  what  has  already  been 
stated  and  illustrated.  However,  there  is  an¬ 
other  phase  of  the  subject  which  should  not  be 
omitted,  namely,  the  psychic  atmosphere  of 
countries.  It  is  claimed  by  Psychometrists  who 
have  traveled  widely  that  every  country  has  its 


“SS?  «*«** 

°"*$Tnut  HILL 


Library 

mass. 


PSYCHOMETRY.  145 


characteristic  psychic  atmosphere.  Immediately 
upon  setting  foot  upon  the  soil  of  a  country  he 
is  impressed  with  its  atmosphere.  Frequently  I 
have  been  informed  that  the  psychometric  im¬ 
pressions  are  quite  different  from  what  the  po¬ 
litical  and  social  conditions  of  the  country  would 
give  to  the  ordinary  observer. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  have  occasionally 
the  psychometric  readings  of  the  various  coun¬ 
tries  of  the  world  in  a  published  form  so  that 
we  might  compare  them.  America  is  thought 
by  many  to  stand  first  in  psychic  matters,  but 
it  is  only  first  in  possibilities,  not  developments. 
Undoubtedly  a  few  of  the  foremost  Psychics  of 
the  world  are  found  in  the  United  States,  and 
they  are  the  prophets  of  the  future,  but  the  na¬ 
tion  taken  as  a  whole  is  sadly  lacking.  How¬ 
ever,  we  are  assured  that  America  is  the  field 
where  the  great  battles  of  thought  are  to  be 
fought  out.  We  are  glad  it  is  so ! 

Psychometry  deserves  a  fuller  and  better  pre¬ 
sentation,  but  it  is  impossible  at  present  to  make 
more  than  tentative  statements.  It  needs  and  is 
receiving  everywhere  careful  study  and  conscien¬ 
tious  students  may  be  trusted  to  find  and  place 
it  upon  its  proper  footing.  Enough  has  already 
been  learned  about  it  to  make  it  certain  that  there 
is  much  in  it.  Some  go  so  far  as  to  say  that 


146  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


everything  is  in  it,  that  it  is  the  beginning  of 
a  new  era,  when  man,  like  his  Creator,  shall  be¬ 
come  omniscient. 

The  subconscious  faculties,  namely,  Telepathy, 
Clairvoyance,  Clairaudience  and  Psychometry, 
are  doors  opening  into  the  great  store-house  of 
knowledge  that  were  not  dreamed  of  a  few  years 
ago.  They  seem  to  indicate  a  psychic  develop¬ 
ment  which  points  to  the  evolution  of  man  to  his 
highest  possible  perfection  when  he  shall  know 
even  as  he  is  known  by  intuition  or  immediate 
knowledge.  Let  us  follow  out  these  beginnings, 
develop  our  latent  powers,  and  become  what  it  is 
our  privilege  to  be,  Men. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


SLEEP  AND  DREAMS. 

The  importance  of  the  subject — Sleep  and  Dreams  com¬ 
mon  to  man  and  animals — The  cause  of  errors — 
Sleep — “Nature’s  sweet  restorer” — Definitions — 
Physiology  versus  Psychology  in  sleep — Sleep  a 
subconscious  condition — An  experiment  showing 
the  relation  of  Sleep  to  Hypnosis — The  key  to  the 
Phenomena  of  Sleep — Dreams — The  ancient  concep¬ 
tion  of  Dreams — The  “stuff  that  Dreams  are  made 
of” — Dreams  defined — The  causation  of  Dreams — 
Physiologic  Causes — Psychologic  causes — An  An¬ 
cient  illustration — A  Suggested  Dream — Telepathic 
Dreams — A  Clairvoyant  Dream — The  influence  of  a 
room  or  place — The  meaning  and  value  of  Dreams — 
The  study  of  Dreams. 

Psychic  Research  offers  no  subject  for  study 
more  important  or  less  understood  than  Sleep 
and  its  phenomena.  That  men  and  animals  peri¬ 
odically  lie  down  to  rest  and  fall  into  somnolent 
conditions  has  been  observed  by  men  from  the 
earliest  times.  It  is  only  the  unusual  and  myste¬ 
rious  that  attracts  much  attention.  Sleep  was 
not  sufficiently  unusual  to  excite  inquiry  or  mys¬ 
terious  enough  to  stimulate  study.  With  Dreams 

147 


148  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


it  was  different  and  so  Sleep  was  overlooked 
while  the  Dreams  were  wondered  at.  It  was 
much  like  neglecting  to  observe  the  foundation 
in  the  admiration  of  the  superstructure  of  the 
building;  although  the  former  is  the  condition 
that  renders  the  latter  possible.  Let  us  make 
no  such  blunder  in  the  study  of  Sleep  and 
Dreams.  Let  us  first  examine  the  foundation, 
Sleep,  and  then  turn  our  attention  to  the  super¬ 
structure,  Dreams.  The  basis  is 

SLEEP. 

Sleep  has  been  considered  by  most  writers  up 
to  date  simply  as  a  period  of  rest  in  which  the 
physical  organs  and  mental  faculties  pass  into  a 
state  of  relaxation  and  inactivity  and  has  been 
appropriately  called  “nature’s  sweet  restorer.”  It 
has  been  defined  as  a  state  of  quiescence  or  som¬ 
nolence,  characterized  by  a  condition  of  partial 
or  complete  unconsciousness,  in  which  the  body 
becomes  relaxed  and  the  bodily  functions  greatly 
reduced.  This  definition  grew  out  of  a  physio¬ 
logic  study  in  which  the  mind  was  considered 
the  product  of  the  brain.  It  was  based  upon  the 
observation  of  a  double  nervous  mechanism, 
namely,  the  voluntary,  including  the  cerebro¬ 
spinal  axis,  and  the  involuntary,  including  the 
chains  of  sympathetic  ganglia.  And  from  their 


SLEEP  AND  DREAMS. 


149 


position  its  definition  served  well  enough,  for 
they  considered  the  involuntary  or  subconscious 
activities  of  the  mind,  reflex  or  automatic.  With 
the  psychologic  study  it  is  different,  for  it  con¬ 
siders  the  brain  the  organ  of  the  mind  and  recog¬ 
nizes  the  duality  of  the  mind.  It  is  precisely  in 
a  failure  to  recognize  this  double  consciousness 
that  the  old  definitions  fail.  The  fact  of  double 
consciousness  has  been  explained  and  illustrated 
in  a  previous  chapter  and  may  be  referred  to. 

Sleep  is  a  state  of  bodily  relaxation  and  quies¬ 
cence,  but  not  a  condition  of  partial  or  complete 
unconsciousness.  That  it  is  not  an  unconscious 
condition  it  is  very  easy  to  prove  by  calling  at¬ 
tention  to  the  numerous  instances  on  record 
where  difficult  problems  have  been  solved  and 
intricate  plans  for  scientific  work  laid  out 
during  periods  of  profound  sleep.  It  is  a 
subconscious  condition.  It  may  be  defined  as 
a  natural  subconscious  state  similar  to  the  in¬ 
duced  subconscious  state,  hypnosis.  It  should 
be  recognized  as  a  definite  phase  of  personality 
with  its  distinctive  characteristics  and  not  sim¬ 
ply  as  an  absence  of  waking  activities  as  ft  is  so 
often  conceived.  Natural  and  induced  Sleep  are 
so  similar  that  an  understanding  of  one  aids 
greatly  in  the  understanding  of  the  other.  They 
differ  only  in  one  particular,  namely,  attention. 


150  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


A  person  in  natural  Sleep  attends  to  his  own 
cerebrations,  that  is,  he  is  in  rapport  with  him¬ 
self  while  a  person  in  hypnosis  attends  to  the 
suggestions  of  the  Hypnotist,  that  is,  he  is  in 
rapport  with  another.  That  attention  is  the  only 
difference  between  natural  and  induced  Sleep  is 
clearly  shown  by  the  following  experiment : 

One  evening  during  my  lecture  a  young  lady 
seated  in  a  high-back  easy  chair  fell  asleep  and 
served  as  an  object  lesson  of  what  I  had  just  been 
talking.  I  approached  her  and  addressed  her  in 
a  subdued  tone  of  voice  as  follows : 

“You  are  having  a  restful  nap  and  will  not 
awaken  until  I  tell  you  to  do  so.  You  hear  me 
plainly  and  will  understand  and  do  what  I  com¬ 
mand  you.” 

Thus  I  insinuated  myself  into  her  attention 
without  waking  her  and  was  able  to  make  sug¬ 
gestions  to  her  just  as  I  could  have  done  if  she 
had  been  hypnotized  in  the  usual  manner.  She 
responded  perfectly  to  every  test  of  hypnosis.  No 
man  can  tell  though  he  watch  with  the  utmost 
care  when  a  person  passes  from  natural  to  in¬ 
duced  Sleep  or  the  reverse. 

Attention  is  the  line  of  demarkation  and 
whether  one  has  that  or  not  can  only  be  told  by 
addressing  the  subject.  Hypnotism  adds  one 
more  to  its  long  list  of  credits  in  furnishing  the 


SLEEP  AND  DREAMS. 


151 


key  to  the  solution  of  the  phenomena  of  Sleep. 
The  knowledge  that  Sleep  is  a  subconscious  and 
not  an  unconscious  state  simplifies  matters  great¬ 
ly  as  will  appear  in  the  discussion  of  Dreams. 
We  are  now  ready  to  pass  to  the  consideration 
of 

DREAMS. 

Anciently  Dreams  were  considered  to  be  earth¬ 
ly  experiences  with  heavenly  meanings,  but  the 
fanciful  conceptions  of  Dreams  belong  to  the 
past.  Psychology  recognizes  that  waking 
thoughts  and  Dreams  are  similar  phenomena. 
We  Dream  while  awake  and  think  while  asleep. 
The  waking  experiences  are  properly  called  vis¬ 
ions,  the  sleeping  ones,  Dreams.  The  ‘‘stuff  that 
Dreams  are  made  of”  is  substantial  although 
frequently  incoherently  joined  together.  Fancy 
and  imaginations  play  their  parts  in  all  states  of 
the  mind.  In  conscious  state  fantastic  imagina¬ 
tions  are  not  wanting,  but  in  Dreams  and  other 
subconscious  states  they  are  more  common  be¬ 
cause  the  reasoning  faculty  and  the  will  are  set 
aside. 

Dreams  may  be  defined  as  the  subconscious 
activities  of  the  mind  during  Sleep.  They  may 
be  partially  or  completely  remembered  or  they 
may  be  completely  forgotten  when  the  person 
returns  to  the  waking  consciousness.  In  this  rc- 


152  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


spect  Dreams  are  like  experiences  had  in  hyp¬ 
nosis.  In  the  lighter  states  of  hypnosis  the  sub¬ 
ject  remembers  more  or  less  distinctly  all  of  his 
experiences,  but  in  the  profound  states  amnesia 
or  forgetfulness  of  the  experiences  is  the  rule. 
The  same  is  true  of  Sleep,  the  Dreams  of  a  light 
restless  Sleep  are  more  or  less  clearly  remem¬ 
bered,  but  those  experienced  in  profound  Sleep 
are  often  forgotten.  The  explanation  is  simple. 
The  states  of  consciousness  offer  the  explana¬ 
tion.  The  experiences  of  the  subconscious  state 
are  with  difficulty  raised  above  the  floor  of  ordi¬ 
nary  consciousness,  so  it  is  only  the  experiences 
had  on  the  borderland  of  consciousness  that  are 
within  reach. 

The  causations  of  Dreams  are  as  numerous, 
and  the  same  as  the  causes  of  thought  and  it 
should  be  borne  in  mind  that  it  is  the  same  mind 
that  is  operating,  no  matter  what  state  of  con¬ 
sciousness  it  is  in.  Thoughts  are  caused  in  two 
ways  in  the  waking  state  and  in  like  manner 
Dreams  are  caused  in  the  same  two  ways  during 
Sleep.  The  causes  are  Physiologic  and  Psy¬ 
chologic.  Let  us  consider  them  separately. 

The  physiologic  causes  of  Dreams  are  those 
which  reach  the  mind  through  the  physical  or¬ 
ganism.  They  may  originate  within  or  from 
without  the  body.  Those  which  have  their  or- 


SLEEP  AND  DREAMS. 


153 


igin  within  the  body  are  generally  due  to  uncom¬ 
fortable  or  painful  conditions.  An  overloaded 
stomach,  an  uncomfortable  bed  and  disease  are 
examples  of  these  causes.  We  have  all  had  rest¬ 
less,  dreamful  nights  after  eating  a  hearty  sup¬ 
per  late.  Soldiers  and  others  obliged  to  sleep 
upon  the  hard  ground  usually  have  Dreams ;  this 
explains  why  it  is  that  so  many  battle-field 
Dreams  are  recorded.  Sometimes  unsuspected 
diseases  are  revealed  by  the  Dreams  they  cause. 
The  Dreams  that  have  their  origin  from  physical 
stimuli  from  without  the  body  are  those  which 
come  through  the  special  senses.  For  example, 
a  shot  heard  during  sleep  may  cause  the  sleeper 
to  dream  of  an  encounter  with  a  burglar  and  of 
firing  a  shot  at  him.  The  whole  Dream  being 
fabricated  between  the  time  of  hearing  the  shot 
and  awaking,  which  was  practically  instantane¬ 
ous.  It  has  been  observed  that  time  and  space 
in  Dreams  are  inconsiderable,  a  moment  of  time 
as  we  measure  it  is  long  enough  for  a  sleeper 
to  dream  long  detailed  experiences  extending 
over  long  stretches  of  time  and  space.  Probably 
the  same  is  true  of  those  dreaming  as  occurs 
with  persons  drowning,  in  an  instant  of  time  the 
whole  history  of  their  past  lives  is  flashed  in 
full  detail  before  the  mind’s  eye.  Exposure  to 
heat  or  cold  will  likewise  cause  Dreams. 


154  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


One  evening  I  made  the  following  experiment : 
A  fellow-student  fell  asleep  on  the  couch  in  my 
room  and  I  approached  him  while  sleeping  and 
held  a  lighted  lamp  near  his  face.  He  soon  be¬ 
came  restless  and  finally  turned  over,  thus  re¬ 
moving  his  face  from  the  light  and  heat.  After 
replacing  the  lamp  upon  the  table  I  awakened 
him  and  asked  him  of  what  he  had  been  dream¬ 
ing.  He  said  that  he  had  dreamed  of  a  con¬ 
flagration.  It  should  be  observed  that  the  causal 
relationship  of  Dreams  is  not  marked,  especially 
in  those  having  their  cause  within  the  body. 
Their  cause  being  discomfort  they  usually  result 
in  distressful  Dreams.  More  often  those  caused 
by  outside  stimuli  result  in  Dreams  similar  to  the 
cause;  for  example,  music  causes  dreaming  of 
music. 

The  Psychologic  causes  of  Dreams  are  those 
which  reach  the  mind  independently  of  the  phys¬ 
ical  organism.  They  may  originate  within  or 
from  without  the  mind.  Those  which  have  their 
cause  within  the  mind  have  the  same  causation 
as  do  thoughts  in  the  waking  state  and  are  con¬ 
trolled  by  the  association  of  ideas.  Examples 
of  these  are  found  in  the  various  states  of  mind, 
as  in  expectation,  anxiety  and  fear.  It  is  well 
known  that  expectation  has  much  to  do  with 
many  Dreams.  The  ancients  knew  this,  and  the 


SLEEP  AND  DREAMS. 


155 


priests  used  to  instruct  such  persons  to  sleep 
on  the  floors  of  the  temples,  so  that  the  gods 
might  come  to  them  in  Sleep  and  tell  them  how 
they  might  be  cured.  The  result  was  that  fre¬ 
quently  the  sufferers  would  Dream  of  remedies 
such  as  were  known  to  their  untutored  minds 
and  in  the  morning  go  and  prepare  the  simples 
of  which  they  had  dreamed,  take  them  and  re¬ 
cover  their  health. 

A  lady  who  feared  for  the  safety  of  a  missing 
brother  who  had  not  been  heard  from  for  a  long 
time  dreamed  three  times  at  short  intervals  that 
she  saw  him  dead,  but  a  short  time  thereafter  he 
returned  alive  and  well.  It  appears  that  fear 
and  anxiety  are  fertile  causes  of  Dreams  and  es¬ 
pecially  of  vague  and  unmeaning  ones.  The 
value  and  meaning  of  Dreams  will  be  considered 
presently. 

Those  which  have  their  causes  from  without 
the  mind  are  due  to  Suggestion,  Thought  Trans¬ 
ference  and  the  other  supersensuous  faculties. 
The  briefest  and  best  way  to  explain  and  illus¬ 
trate  this  class  of  Dreams  will  be  to  give  exam¬ 
ples  and  experiments.  Let  us  adopt  that  method. 

Suggestion,  especially  Hypno-Suggestion,  is 
an  important  cause  for  dreaming  because  it  fur¬ 
nishes  a  means  of  study  of  the  Dreams  that  it 
causes.  I  have  frequently  made  experiments 


156  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM* 


with  hypnotized  persons  similar  to  the  following: 
A  young  man  in  hypnosis  was  told  that  he  would 
have  a  peculiar  Dream  the  following  night,  that 
he  would  dream  that  he  was  out  in  the  woods  in 
the  winter  time  far  away  from  civilization  and 
that  he  was  attacked  by  wolves,  that  he  escaped 
from  them  by  climbing  a  tree,  and  that  he  was 
finally  rescued  by  an  Indian  girl.  I  saw  him  a 
few  days  later  and  he  voluntarily  told  me  of  the 
Dream  which  he  distinctly  remembered  as  hav¬ 
ing  occurred  as  detailed  above.  The  converse 
is  also  true.  Those  who  are  annoyed  by  grue¬ 
some  and  distressing  Dreams  may  be  relieved 
from  them  by  suggestion. 

Autosuggestion,  in  like  manner,  is  responsible 
for  many  Dream  experiences ;  indeed,  many  are 
able  to  very  accurately  direct  their  dreaming.  In 
this  cause  is  found  the  explanation  of  many  of 
the  so-called  astral  exploits.  These  will  be  more 
fully  considered  in  the  next  chapter. 

Doubtless  the  most  fruitful  cause  for  this  class 
of  Dreams  is  Telepathy.  In  Sleep  the  subcon¬ 
scious  mind  with  its  supersensuous  intelligence 
catches  the  thought  vibrations  that  come  from  all 
directions  many  of  which  find  lodgment  and  set 
up  trains  of  dreaming.  Sometimes  they  are 
remembered  as  visual  and  at  other  times  audi¬ 
tory  experiences.  The  visual  type  is  shown  in 


i 


SLEEP  AND  DREAMS. 


157 


the  well-known  experience  of  the  English  gentle* 
man,  which  is  as  follows : 

One  evening  he  fell  asleep  upon  a  couch  and 
while  he  slept  he  seemed  to  see  his  brother  sit¬ 
ting  upon  a  chair  beside  the  couch.  He  was 
surprised  at  seeing  him  there  and  spoke  to  him 
whereupon  the  brother  nodded  his  head  and  dis¬ 
appeared.  The  Dream  so  startled  him  that  he 
awoke  and  his  brother’s  presence  seemed  so  real 
that  he  hunted  about  the  house  to  find  him,  but 
being  unable  to  do  so  gave  up  the  search  and 
went  to  bed.  Subsequently  he  learned  that  his 
brother  had  been  thrown  from  a  horse  while 
hunting  a  little  prior  to  the  Dream,  sustaining 
injuries  from  which  he  soon  died. 

An  example  of  the  telepathic  experiences  in 
which  the  thought  took  on  an  auditory  character 
occurred  in  my  own  family.  One  morning  my 
mother  told  us  at  the  breakfast  table  that  she 
had  had  a  strange  Dream  the  night  before.  While 
asleep  she  had  distinctly  heard  the  voice  of  my 
absent  brother  call  “Mother !  Mother !”  and  it 
had  so  startled  her  as  to  awaken  her.  She  was 
much  worried  about  the  experience  and  with  rea¬ 
son  for  a  few  days  later  my  brother  was  brought 
home  suffering  from  typhoid  fever.  Sick  in  a 
strange  city,  he  had  wanted  her  and  undoubtedly 
uttered  the  words  which  my  mother  heard.  Pos¬ 
sibly  this  is  a  case  of  Clairaudience. 


158  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


Clairvoyant  Dreams  are  not  uncommon  with 
some  people,  perhaps  many  Dreams  are  due  to 
that  cause.  Here  is  the  example  of  one  which 
came  under  my  notice.  About  a  year  ago  a  lady 
visiting  in  this  city,  during  an  afternoon  nap 
dreamed  that  she  saw  an  accident  happen  to  her 
children,  whom  she  had  left  at  home  in  the  care 
of  her  sister.  In  her  Sleep  she  seemed  to  see 
them  at  their  play  and  as  they  chased  each  other 
through  the  house  both  of  them  fell  through  an 
open  cellar  door.  As  she  saw  them  disappear 
through  the  door  she  awakened  with  a  sudden 
scream.  When  her  friends  who  heard  her  scream 
asked  her  the  cause  of  it  she  told  them  of  her 
Dream.  Later  it  developed  that  the  children  had 
fallen  into  the  cellar  just  as  she  had  seen  them 
in  her  Dream,  but  fortunately  they  were  neither 
of  them  much  hurt. 

I  have  observed  that  surrounding  psychic 
atmosphere  may  cause  psychometric  Dreams. 
The  receptive  dream  consciousness  catches  the 
psychic  atmosphere  of  the  room  or  place.  The 
following  experience  was  told  me  confidentially 
by  one  of  my  patients :  On  the  first  of  May,  like 
many  of  our  good  people,  he  had  moved  into  a 
strange  house,  and  before  they  had  gotten  fairly 
settled  he  had  a  series  of  Dreams.  Almost  every 
night  he  had  a  most  realistic  Dream  in  which  he 
seemed  to  see  a  middle-aged  lady  walking  up  and 


SLEEP  AND  DREAMS. 


159 


down  the  room  wringing  her  hands  or  running 
them  frantically  through  her  hair  as  though  she 
were  almost  beside  herself  with  anxiety  and  grief. 
This  occurred  several  times,  but  after  the  room 
was  repainted  and  papered  the  Dreams  ceased. 
I  was  much  interested  and  after  careful  inquiry 
learned  that  the  room  had  been  occupied  by  a 
mother  who  was  almost  distracted  by  the  run¬ 
ning  away  of  her  young  lady  daughter. 

Many  other  classes  of  Dreams  are  found  in 
works  on  this  subject.  Some  of  them  more 
strange  and  inexplicable  than  those  recorded 
above.  Among  these  are  prophetic  Dreams, 
much  of  which  has  been  written,  much  I  am 
afraid  that  is  untrue.  It  has  been  my  aim  to 
write  of  the  things  that  I  know  something  about. 
This  is  not  prophetic  Dreams.  Not  a  little  time 
has  been  given  to  the  study  of  such  Dreams,  but 
without  reaching  a  position  of  probability,  not 
to  say  certainty  concerning  them.  The  evidence 
submitted  is  unsatisfactory  and  inconclusive  and 
I  have  had  no  first  hand  experience  with  them. 
No  one  would  like  to  believe  in  prophecy  more 
than  I,  but  in  my  judgment  the  future  is  a  sealed 
book  only  known  as  it  becomes  the  present. 
Something  more  will  be  said  of  prescience  in  the 
closing  chapter. 

The  meaning  and  value  of  Dreams  are  subjects 


160  the  psychic  and  psychism. 


that  need  careful  consideration.  It  is  plain  that 
the  old  scientific  statement  that  “all  Dreams  are 
profitless’’  is  not  true.  For  while  it  is  doubtless 
true  that  many  Dreams  are  vain,  fanciful,  inco¬ 
herent  fabrications,  it  is  equally  true  that  some 
Dreams  accurately  record  the  truth.  It  is  wrong 
to  consider  every  Dream  a  Divine  revelation,  but 
it  is  quite  as  wrong  to  consider  every  Dream 
a  meaningless  fancy.  Discrimination  must  be 
made  and  happy  the  one  who  has  learned  rightly 
to  discriminate.  Each  one  must  study  his  own 
Dreams  if  he  would  know  what  they  mean.  The 
question  is  frequently  asked,  “How  may  we 
study  our  Dreams?”  It  is  a  difficult  question 
and  I  have  often  put  it  to  others.  Let  me  give 
one  of  the  answers  received. 

An  old  gentleman  friend  of  mine  who  knows 
much  about  Dreams  told  me  his  method  of  study. 
On  awaking  in  the  morning  before  moving  or 
even  opening  his  eyes,  he  used  to  spend  a  little 
time  recalling  the  Dreams  of  the  previous  night. 
He  found  that  by  so  doing  he  was  able  to  get 
hold  of  the  final  end  of  his  dreaming  which  he 
was  enabled  to  unravel  by  following  back  the 
chain  of  dream  ideas  and  experiences.  Others 
who  have  used  this  method  have  found  it  useful 
and  I  offer  it  for  what  it  is  worth. 

Dreams  are  usually  soon  forgotten  because 


SLEEP  AND  DREAMS. 


161 


they  are  subconscious  experiences  and  tend  to 
sink  back  below  the  floor  of  waking  conscious¬ 
ness  even  when  partially  above  it.  The  above 
method  will  aid  in  bringing  them  into  distinct 
and  conscious  memory.  Another  aid  in  remem¬ 
bering  Dreams  is  the  use  of  suggestion.  Hyp¬ 
notized  subjects  can  readily  be  made  to  recall  for¬ 
gotten  Dreams  and  by  posthypnotic  suggestion 
enabled  to  remember  future  Dream  experiences. 
By  autosuggestion  one  may  do  for  himself  all 
that  can  be  done  for  him  by  another.  Many  per¬ 
sons  by  repeated  autosuggestions  have  become 
able  to  remember  practically  all  of  their  dream 
experiences.  A  friend  told  me  that  he  found 
much  pleasure  daily  in  recalling  and  studying 
the  Dreams  of  the  previous  night.  It  is  hoped 
that  enough  has  been  said  above  to  stimulate  a 
renewed  interest  in  Dreams  in  the  minds  of  my 
readers.  The  study  of  Dreams  cannot  fail  to  be 
interesting  and  profitable.  The  vagaries  of  the 
past  must  give  place  to  the  facts  of  the  future. 
Let  us  pass  on  to  the  subject  of  Somnambulism 
and  Trances. 


r 


) 


CHAPTER  X. 


SOMNAMBULISM  AND  TRANCES. 

The  Subconscious  States — The  Eastern  classifications 
of  them — Somnambulism — It  belongs  to  the  phe¬ 
nomena  of  Sleep — Definition — Natural  Somnam¬ 
bulism — Two  examples  of  Sleep-walking — Professor 
McClure’s  opinion — Morbid  Somnambulism — The 
case  of  a  French  lady — Artificial  Somnambulism 
— Hypnotic  experiments — The  power  of  divination — 
Amnesia — Trances — Kinds  of  Trances — Definition 
— Spontaneous  Trances — “Wrapped  into  visions” 
— Autotrances — They  are  self-induced  and  self¬ 
limited — The  profound  Trances  of  the  Yogis — 
Harides  test — Trances  and  Theosophy — The  Eng¬ 
lish  Teacher — Induced  Trances — Suggestion  in 
Trances — The  unreliability  of  Trance  revelations — 
Spiritistic  Trances — Mediums  hypnotized  by  Spirits 
— Does  the  soul  leave  the  body? 

The  subconscious  states  of  mind  include  two 
more,  Somnambulism  and  Trances,  similar  to 
Sleep,  which  demand  a  brief  discussion.  In  our 
discussions  the  states  of  consciousness  have  been 
considered  as  including  two  groups,  namely, 
conscious  and  subconscious  conditions.  Every¬ 
thing  beyond  the  limit  of  ordinary  consciousness 

163 


/ 


164  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


has  been  grouped  under  the  subconscious  divi¬ 
sions.  The  Eastern  teachers  and  philosophers 
and  those  who  follow  them  make  a  three-fold 
classification  of  consciousness  as  follows:  i. 
Subconscious;  2.  Conscious,  and  3.  Supercon¬ 
scious  states.  Because  animals  in  common  with 
man  pass  into  some  subconscious  states  as  Sleep 
they  consider  such  states  as  below  ordinary  con¬ 
sciousness  and  hence  call  them  subconscious  to 
differentiate  them  from  states  that  seem  to  be 
above  the  plane  of  ordinary  consciousness  which 
they  call  superconscious.  The  distinction  is 
rather  artificial  than  real  and  of  no  particular  aid 
in  understanding  the  phenomena  under  consid¬ 
eration.  Somnambulism  and  Trances  are  dis¬ 
tinct  subconscious,  although  similar  states,  and 
will  be  discussed  separately.  Let  us  first  con¬ 
sider 

SOMNAMBULISM. 

Somnambulism  belongs  to  the  phenomena  of 
sleep  and  may  be  defined  as  a  state  of  mind,  oc- 
curing  during  sleep,  which  causes  or  favors  the 
performance  of  actions  peculiar  to  the  waking 
state,  as  walking,  talking,  working  and  the  like. 
It  is  commonly  known  as  sleep-walking  because 
the  person  arises  from  his  bed  during  sleep  and 
often,  leaving  the  house  by  a  window  or  door, 


SOMNAMBULISM  AND  TRANCES.  165 


goes  out  upon  the  street.  There  are  three  types 
of  Somnambulism  recognized  depending  upon 
the  causes.  They  are:  i.  Natural.  2.  Morbid. 
3.  Artificial  Somnambulism. 

NATURAL  SOMNAMBULISM. 

Natural  Somnambulism  occurs  during  natural 
sleep,  that  is,  it  is  preceded  and  followed  by  sleep. 
The  cause  appears  to  be  a  condition  of  mind  sim¬ 
ilar  to  dreaming,  with  this  difference,  that  the 
Somnambulist  carries  his  dreams  into  action.  If 
he  remembers  the  occurrence  as  he  sometimes 
does  the  dreaming  and  doing  are  so  blended  that 
the  whole  is  to  him  simply  a  dream.  However, 
the  rule  is  forgetfulness  or  amnesia  and  he  only 
knows  of  his  exploits  by  the  testimony  of  others 
together  with  the  evidences  that  remain  of  what 
he  did  during  the  subconscious  state.  Tlfe  fol¬ 
lowing  is  a  fair  example  of  natural  Somnambu¬ 
lism  : 

One  night  recently  in  my  own  home,  a  twelve- 
year-old  girl  arose  from  her  bed  while  asleep 
and  went  to  the  window  and  tried  to  open  it.  She 
was  heard  while  trying  to  open  the  window  and 
asked  what  she  was  doing. 

“I  am  trying  to  open  the  window,”  she  said. 

“What  do  you  want  to  open  the  window  for?” 
was  asked, 


166  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


“I  have  four  fours  in  my  mind  and  want  to 
throw  one  of  them  away,”  was  the  reply. 

She  had  been  playing  cards  before  going  to 
bed  and  evidently  had  fallen  asleep  while  think¬ 
ing  of  the  game,  with  the  result  that  she  dreamed 
of  playing  cards  and  carried  the  dream  into 
action  as  described  above. 

She  was  called  to  the  bedside  by  the  lady  who 
slept  in  the  same  room  and  further  questioned. 
The  child  declared  that  she  was  awake  and  pro¬ 
tested  when  shaken  for  the  purpose  of  waking 
her.  It  was  impossible  to  wake  her  and  so  she 
was  sent  back  to  her  own  bed.  She  got  into  bed 
and  was  directed  to  cover  herself  up  well,  which 
she  did. 

“Are  you  awake?”  was  asked. 

“Yes,  of  course  I  am  awake,”  she  answered, 
petulantly. 

“What  have  you  got  in  your  hand?”  she  was 
then  asked. 

“Four  fours,”  was  the  prompt  reply. 

The  above  case  is  interesting  in  several  par¬ 
ticulars.  It  illustrates  the  persistence  of  the  idea 
which  dominates  the  Somnambulist  and  acts  as 
a  suggestion  in  directing  his  action.  It  also  il¬ 
lustrates  a  fact  that  is  somewhat  unusual,  name¬ 
ly.  the  Somnambulist  may  respond  to  questions 
while  sleep-walking.  Moreover,  it  illustrates  the 


SOMNAMBULISM  AND  TRANCES.  167 


fact  of  forgetfulness  which  is  common  to  most 
cases,  for  in  the  morning  the  girl  had  no  memory 
of  her  experience  of  the  night  before.  Let  me 
cite  another  recent  case: 

Unable  to  remember  how  he  reached  his  des¬ 
tination,  or  when  he  had  begun  his  midnight 
journey,  a  student  at  the  Lake  Forest  academy 
who  retired  to  his  bed  in  the  academy  dormitory 
with  rheumatism  Friday  afternoon,  awoke  Satur¬ 
day  morning  to  find  himself  sixteen  miles  distant, 
wrapped  in  blankets,  lying  on  the  seat  of  his 
father’s  carriage  in  the  stable  in  the  rear  of  his 
home  at  Loon  Lake,  Wis. 

With  the  exception  of  15  cents  with  which  the 
student  is  supposed  to  have  paid  his  carfare  from 
Lake  Forest  to  Waukegan,  nothing  of  value  in 
his  pockets  had  been  disturbed. 

President  McClure  of  the  Lake  Forest  uni¬ 
versity  said : 

“The  strange  actions  of  the  student  have  been 
the  cause  of  considerable  excitement  among 
members  of  the  faculty.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
he  walked  from  Waukegan  to  his  home  in  a  semi¬ 
conscious  condition.  It  is  my  opinion  that  it 
was  a  peculiar  case  of  Somnambulism,  although 
he  had  been  sick  and  may  have  been  brought  to 
an  unconscious  state  on  this  account.” 

The  Somnambulist  often  performs  unusual 


168  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


feats  such  as  would  be  impossible  in  his  natural 
state.  He  climbs  to  dizzy  heights  and  walks 
with  ease  and  certainty  of  step,  if  undisturbed, 
marvelous  to  behold.  Not  only  are  his  physical 
abilities  increased,  but  this  increase  is  even  more 
marked  in  his  mental  power.  Many  examples 
have  been  recorded  illustrating  the  heightened 
powers  of  mind.  Not  infrequently  Somnambu¬ 
lists  work  out  problems  which  have  baffled  them 
in  their  waking  hours  and  do  literary  work  of  a 
surprising  character.  The  sense  perceptions  are 
so  acute  that  we  are  led  to  believe  that  the  Som¬ 
nambulist  depends  upon  his  supersensuous  fac¬ 
ulties  in  many  of  his  feats. 

MORBID  SOMNAMBULISM. 

Morbid  Somnambulism  occurs  during  patho¬ 
logic  conditions.  While  it  is  spontaneous  in 
character  it  differs  from  Somnambulism  in  oc- 
curing  independently  of  sleep.  It  is  an  exalted 
state  of  mind  in  which  the  soul  stimulates  the  or¬ 
ganism,  which  is  weakened  by  disease,  into  un¬ 
usual  activities.  Ideas  take  possession  of  the 
mind,  as  in  natural  Somnambulism,  causing 
dreams  which  are  carried  into  action,  if  the  pa¬ 
tient  is  not  restrained.  The  exaltation  of  mind 
is  similar  to  that  which  precedes  certain  forms  of 
insanity.  The  hallucinations  are  very  persistent, 


SOMNAMBULISM  AND  TRANCES.  169 


in  some  cases  lasting  for  weeks  with  lucid  pe¬ 
riods.  Unusual  keenness  of  perception  is  the 
rule  and  as  in  other  forms  of  Somnambulism  un¬ 
usual  physical  and  mental  feats  are  performed. 
A  discussion  of  disease  conditions  is  beyond  the 
scope  of  this  work.  So  no  more  need  be  said 
upon  this  topic ;  however,  a  single  example  may 
be  given. 

A  French  young  lady  with  hysteric  tendencies 
one  night  awakened  her  maid,  sleeping  in  the 
next  room,  by  moans  and  faint  cries.  She  was 
found  by  the  maid  crouching  upon  the  floor  be¬ 
hind  a  large  easy  chair  and  declared  when  ques¬ 
tioned  that  a  man  had  been  in  the  room  and 
beaten  her.  Then  she  ran  to  the  window  and  de¬ 
clared  that  she  could  see  him  going  down  the 
street,  although  no  one  was  visible  to  the  maid, 
who  was  standing  beside  her.  On  the  following 
day  she  told  the  story  of  the  assault  with  full  de¬ 
tails  and  named  a  young  man  acquaintance  as 
the  assailant.  She  even  exhibited  ecchymosed 
spots  and  bruises  as  evidence  of  the  blows  she 
had  received.  The  whole  affair  was  proven  to 
be  the  hallucination  of  a  Somnambulist.  The 
discoloration  and  bruises  were  doubtless  pro¬ 
duced  by  the  influence  of  the  mind,  as  many  sim¬ 
ilar  conditions  are  on  record.  Sometimes  Som¬ 
nambulists  of  this  class  have  accused  innocent 


170  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


persons  of  serious  offenses  while  dominated  by 
such  hallucinations.  The  accused  have  some¬ 
times  found  it  difficult  to  exonerate  themselves 
because  of  the  persistent  and  apparently  honest 
testimony  of  the  accuser. 

ARTIFICIAL  SOMNAMBULISM. 

Artificial  Somnambulism  differs  from  the  for¬ 
mer  varieties,  in  that  it  is  induced  by  another 
person.  Hypnotic  Somnambulism  furnishes  a 
means  for  the  study  and  understanding  of  nat¬ 
ural  and  morbid  Somnambulism,  for  it  is  pro¬ 
duced  at  will  and  may  be  carefully  studied.  It 
includes  all  of  the  phenomena  peculiar  to  those 
varieties  and  differs  from  them  only  in  the  tact 
that  it  is  produced  by  artificial  means.  The  pei- 
son  passes  into  the  subconscious  state  in  which 
he  is  dominated  by  ideas  not  suggested  by  the 
dream  consciousness,  or  a  morbid  state  of  mind, 
but  by  the  person  who  has  hypnotized  him.  An 
example  will  be  the  easiest  way  to  make  this 
plain. 

A  young  man  was  hypnotized  and  readily 
passed  into  a  somnambulic  state,  in  which  it  was 
possible  to  easily  produce  all  of  the  phenomena 
observed  in  Somnambulism.  He  exhibited  un¬ 
usual  physical  powers  and  walked,  talked  and 
performed  feats  as  directed.  Upon  receiving  the 


SOMNAMBULISM  AND  TRANCES.  171 


suggestion  that  he  was  fishing,  he  went  through 
all  of  the  motions  of  fishing,  using  a  cane  for  a 
fish  pole.  When  given  the  suggestion  that  he 
was  a  noted  musician  he  went  to  the  piano  and 
played  music  that  he  was  unable  to  execute  while 
he  was  awake.  Upon  receiving  the  suggestion 
that  he  was  the  Mayor  of  the  city  and  was  presid¬ 
ing  at  a  meeting  of  the  city  council,  he  arose  and 
outlined  his  policy  as  Mayor,  in  a  dignified  and 
impressive  manner.  When  given  the  suggestion 
that  the  house  was  on  fire  he  opened  the  window 
and  prepared  to  descend  to  the  ground  by  means 
of  the  fire  escape.  He  was  handed  a  glove  and 
asked  to  tell  to  whom  it  belonged  by  the  sense  ot 
smell  and  readily  did  so  by  passing  along  the 
line  formed  of  the  persons  present  smelling  of 
their  hands  one  after  another.  Many  other  ex¬ 
periments  were  made  with  this  subject,  but  space 
forbids  the  multiplication  of  details.  In  short,  he 
showed  conclusively  that  his  mind  was  in  a  state 
of  exaltation  which  rendered  his  perceptive  pow¬ 
ers  unusually  acute. 

The  Hypnotic  Somnambulist  can  readily  duplt- 
cate  any  of  the  feats  performed  by  those  in  states 
of  natural  or  morbid  Somnambulism  and  he 
thereby  offers  the  key  to  the  solution  and  un¬ 
derstanding  of  their  phenomena.  A  study  of  all 
of  the  phenomena  of  hypnosis  is  necessary  to  a 


172  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


thorough  understanding  of  the  subject  and  the 
reader  is  advised  to  make  such  a  study,  but  it 
must  be  made  in  books  devoted  to  a  considera¬ 
tion  of  Hypnotism.  Space  forbids  an  extended 
discussion  here.  However,  the  statement  of  a 
few  conclusions  may  be  made. 

The  power  of  divination  exhibited  by  Som¬ 
nambulists  is  probably  due  to  their  unusual  keen¬ 
ness  of  perception  which  enables  them  to  reason 
from  a  larger  body  of  evidence  than  is  at  their 
command  while  awake.  Undoubtedly  they  often 
are  able  to  use  their  supersensuous  faculties  in 
seeing,  hearing  and  knowing  things  beyond  the 
range  of  the  physical  senses  which  proves  the 
Somnambulist  to  be  a  Psychic. 

Amnesia  or  forgetfulness  of  experiences  had 
during  Somnambulism  is  the  rule,  but  in  subse¬ 
quent  states  of  Somnambulism  the  memory  is 
restored.  This  seems  to  show  that  the  mem¬ 
ories  remain  below  the  floor  of  ordinary  con¬ 
sciousness  when  a  person  returns  to  the  normal 
state.  Artificial  Somnambulists  may  be  made  to 
remember  all  of  their  experiences  by  suggestion, 
which  seems  to  prove  that  the  memories  are  in 
the  mind,  but  beyond  the  reach  of  the  ordinary 
consciousness. 

The  close  relationship  between  Artificial  Som¬ 
nambulism  and  Trances  will  appear  as  we  discuss 


SOMNAMBULISM  AND  TRANCES.  173 


the  latter.  In  both,  Hypnotism  furnishes  the 
clue  which  enables  us  to  understand  them.  Let 
us  now  turn  our  attention  to 

TRANCES. 

Trances  occur  under  several  conditions,  but  in 
general  they  are  much  alike  and  may  be  grouped 
under  one  definition.  However,  the  old  idea 
that  they  are  unconscious  states  must  be  aban¬ 
doned,  for  they  are  not  unconscious  but  subcon¬ 
scious  states  in  which  the  body  is  usually  relaxed 
and  its  functional  activities  greatly  depressed. 
Prolonged,  profound  natural  sleep  from  which 
a  person  cannot  be  awakened  is  sometimes  called 
a  Trance,  but  while  it  exhibits  most  of  the  char¬ 
acteristics  of  a  Trance,  strictly  speaking  it  is  not 
one ;  it  is  truly  a  trance-like  sleep.  The  soul  is 
thought  by  some  to  leave  the  body  during 
Trances,  but  this  is  probably  untrue. 

A  Trance  is  a  subconscious  state,  in  which  a 
person  appears  insensible  to  the  external  sur¬ 
roundings,  and  in  which  the  volitional  powers 
and  vital  functions  are  greatly  lowered  or  sus¬ 
pended.  It  may  be  greatly  prolonged  and  simu¬ 
late  death.  Three  varieties  of  Trances  are  ob¬ 
served,  depending  upon  their  causation,  namely: 
i.  Spontaneous.  2.  Self-induced  or  auto  and  3. 
Induced  Trances.  These  will  be  considered  sep¬ 
arately. 


174  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


SPONTANEOUS  TRANCES. 

Spontaneous  Trances  occur  under  various 
conditions,  but  chiefly  in  hysterical  persons.  The 
causes  are  not  well  known,  but  are  probably  the 
same  as  those  which  produce  the  hysterical  neu¬ 
rosis.  They  result  from  spontaneous  changes  in 
the  mind  similar  to  those  which  occur  in  pro¬ 
found  hypnosis,  so  they  must  result  from  psychic 
causes.  They  could  hardly  be  called  disease  con¬ 
ditions,  although  they  frequently  occur  after  pro¬ 
longed  illnesses,  as  after  typhoid  fever.  They 
may  last  from  a  few  hours  to  several  months. 
The  appearance  of  a  person  in  a  Trance  is  char¬ 
acteristic  and  marked,  the  face  is  usually  pale  and 
expressionless,  the  body  relaxed  and  the  bodily 
functions  greatly  lowered.  The  pulse  and  res¬ 
piration  are  barely  perceptible  and  sometimes  ap¬ 
parently  suspended.  In  pronounced  cases  there 
seems  to  be  a  suspension  of  animation  and  death 
is  simulated  so  closely  that  in  such  cases  persons 
have  been  buried  alive. 

Entranced  persons  are  said  to  be  “wrapped 
into  visions”  and  while  in  that  state  receive  rev¬ 
elations  from  various  spirit  sources,  divine  or 
otherwise.  Upon  such  visions  and  regulations 
most  of  the  religions  of  the  world  are  founded. 
The  Apostle  John  on  the  Island  of  Patmos  is  a 
good  example  of  such  experiences.  The  visions 


SOMNAMBULISM  AND  TRANCES.  175 


and  revelations  are  remembered  upon  returning 
to  the  normal  state  with  unusual  vividness  which 
favors  their  being  recorded  with  full  details.  Sim¬ 
ilar  experiences  occur  in  the  other  forms  of 
Trances,  so  their  source,  meaning  and  value  will 
be  considered  presently.  In  the  milder  forms  of 
spontaneous  Trances  a  person  may  be  conscious 
of  his  external  surroundings  but  unable  even  to 
move  an  eyelid,  to  express  his  consciousness,  to 
those  about  him.  However,  this  is  exceptional, 
for  usually  they  are  plunged  into  profound  syn¬ 
cope,  which  instead  of  the  lethargic  stupor  a 
tonic  spasm  of  the  muscles  occurs  producing 
what  is  known  as  the  Cataleptic  Trance.  It  will 
appear  that  the  trance  conditions  described 
above  are  all  duplicated  in  the  profounder  states 
of  hypnosis,  which  offers  explanations  of  them. 
This  will  become  more  manifest  as  we  proceed. 

AUTOTRANCES. 

Autotrances  are  self-induced  subconscious 
states  in  which  the  sensibilities  and  vital  func¬ 
tions  are  greatly  reduced  or  suspended.  As  they 
are  self-induced,  so  they  are  self-limited  except 
in  the  more  extreme  cases  where  it  is  necessary 
to  have  others  aid  in  the  resuscitation.  Two 
types  of  the  self-induced  Trances  are  observed, 
namely,  the  profound  types  induced  by  the  Yogis 


176  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


in  their  practice  and  the  milder  type  induced  by 
the  searchers  after  the  “wisdom  of  God,”  and 
others. 

The  profound  type  of  Autotrance  is  well  illus¬ 
trated  in  the  well-known  case  of  the  Yogi  Har- 
ides  in  his  experiment  made  to  convince  the  Ra¬ 
jah  of  Lahore,  who  was  skeptical  of  the  Yogi’s 
power.  The  experiment  was  witnessed  and 
vouched  for  by  Doctor  Honigberger.  The  Yogi 
had  a  cell  prepared  and  accustomed  himself  to 
remain  in  it  without  air  for  longer  and  longer 
periods  of  time  until  he  was  ready  for  the  test, 
which  was  to  be  buried  in  a  closed  and  sealed 
grave  for  six  weeks. 

On  the  day  set  for  the  initiation  of  the  test 
a  large  company  of  spectators  was  assembled 
and  the  Rajah  was  present  to  superintend  the  ai- 
rangements.  Harides  seated  himself  upon  a 
linen  sheet  to  be  used  as  a  shroud,  forced  his 
tongue  back  into  the  pharynx,  fixed  his  eyes 
upon  the  end  of  his  nose  and  fell  into  a  Trance. 
Then  the  attendants,  after  placing  pledgets  of 
cotton  smeared  with  wax  into  his  ears  and  nos¬ 
trils,  gathered  up  the  corners  of  the  sheet,  tied 
and  sealed  them  with  the  Rajah’s  seal  and  placed 
the  Yogi  into  a  wooden  box,  three  by  four  feet, 
and  lowered  him  into  the  cement  grave  which 
had  been  prepared  for  the  occasion.  The  grave 


SOMNAMBULISM  AND  TRANCES.  177 


which  was  three  feet  below  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  was  then  covered  over  with  clay  and  a 
guard  set  to  watch  it  during  the  six  weeks  of 
the  trial.  Many  religious  devotees  from  all  parts 
of  the  country  camped  about  the  place. 

At  the  end  of  the  six  weeks  Harides  was  dis¬ 
interred.  The  seals  upon  the  box  and  the  sheet 
were  unbroken  and  in  the  presence  of  the  Rajah 
the  Yogi  was  released  from  his  coffin  and  shroud. 
He  was  found  to  be  in  the  same  position  as  when 
placed  there,  except  that  his  head  had  fallen  over 
upon  one  shoulder.  The  resuscitation  was  con¬ 
ducted  by  his  disciples,  who  applied  hot  applica¬ 
tions  to  his  head  and  body,  pulled  his  tongue 
forward  into  its  normal  position  and  rubbed  his 
limbs.  After  a  short  time  a  tremor  passed  over 
his  body,  which  appeared  shriveled,  cold  and  life¬ 
less,  and  a  little  later  he  opened  his  eyes,  which 
soon  lost  the  lusterless  appearance  of  death  and 
regained  their  brightness.  Upon  recognizing 
the  Rajah  his  lips  moved  and  he  asked,  “Do  you 
believe  me  now?” 

The  experiment  was  a  success  and  later  Har¬ 
ides  allowed  himself  to  be  buried  again,  this  time 
for  four  months,  and  was  again  resuscitated  in 
the  same  manner. 

The  example  must  speak  for  itself ;  we  can  but 
wonder  at  the  marvelous  control  of  body  and 


178  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


mind  developed  by  the  Yogi.  The  second  type 
of  Autotrances,  or  as  we  might  properly  call 
them  Autohypnoses,  are  well  shown  in  the  ex¬ 
periments  made  by  the  Theosophist  and  others. 
They  attempt  and  believe  that  they  succeed  in 
verifying  the  teachings  of  the  ancients  by  falling 
into  such  Trances. 

The  founder  of  that  cult,  Madam  Blavatsky, 
with  a  coterie  of  followers  went  to  the  Far-East 
to  find  the  Mahatmas  of  whom  they  had  heard. 
They  found  and  obtained  from  them  the  “An¬ 
cient  Wisdom  of  God,”  a  body  of  truth  said  to 
be  fundamental  to  all  religions.  The  Mahatmas 
told  them  not  to  accept  it  on  their  testimony 
but  to  prove  it  for  themselves ;  this,  they  say, 
they  did.  Let  one  of  their  teachers,  a  gentleman 
who  recently  came  from  England  to  teach  us 
benighted  Americans,  explain  how  they  did  it. 

“The  people  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  suc¬ 
ceed  in  this  quest  were  at  once  placed  in  the  posi¬ 
tion  of  being  able  to  make  a  number  of  exceed¬ 
ingly  interesting  investigations.  A  group  of 
them  worked  together  for  several  years,  steadily 
observing,  comparing  notes,  checking  every¬ 
thing,  trying  everything  again  and  again  in  all 
sorts  of  different  ways ;  investigating,  in  fact, 
just  precisely  as  we  should  investigate  any  other 
science  which  we  happened  to  take  in  hand.  That 


SOMNAMBULISM  AND  TRANCES.  179 


group  of  people  would  meet  and  select  their  sub¬ 
ject;  they  would  then  go  away  to  their  homes, 
and  while  in  the  state  of  Trance  or  deep  sleep, 
which  is  really  a  state  of  excitation  of  the  higher 
faculties,  they  would  all  make  their  separate  ob¬ 
servations,  would  write  them  down  and  make 
notes  of  them  when  they  woke.  Then  at  the 
next  meeting  of  that  group  all  these  people  from 
different  places  would  bring  their  notes  together 
and  compare  them,  and  nothing  was  ever  allowed 
to  enter  into  the  Theosophical  teaching  of  that 
period  as  emanating  from  that  group  which 
rested  on  the  testimony  of  any  one  person,  or 
even,  I  think  I  may  say,  of  any  two.  Always 
there  was  a  concurrence  of  the  testimony  of 
those  who  had  made  the  same  investigation  and 
approached  it  from  their  own  different  point  of 
view,  and  nothing  to  which  all  engaged  did  not 
agree  was  put  into  the  books  which  were  pub¬ 
lished,  as  the  transaction  of  the  Lodge.  You 
may,  perhaps,  say  the  whole  thing  is  simply  hal¬ 
lucination.  But  at  least  you  must  give  credit 
to  the  people  who  undertook  that  labor  (spend¬ 
ing  sometimes  two  years  in  work  before  they 
turned  out  a  single  book)  for  at  least  doing  their 
best  not  to  deceive,  and  to  make  certain  that 
what  they  teach  and  put  before  the  world  shall  be 
verified  as  far  as  it  is  in  their  power  to  verify  it.” 


180  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


The  manner  of  the  experiments  made  by  the 
members  of  the  society  is  given  here  chiefly  to 
illustrate  the  subject  under  discussion  and  will 
be  referred  to  again  presently.  It  is  manifest 
that  their  trance  experiences  are  similar  to  those 
had  by  persons  known  as  “Trance  Mediums,” 
who  profess  to  see  visions  and  receive  revelations 
from  the  spirit  world.  It  seems  to  me  and  I 
have  given  the  matter  some  study,  that  the  spirit 
mediums  are  self-entranced,  or,  to  be  perfectly 
plain,  self-hypnotized.  The  phenomena  they 
produce  closely  resemble  those  produced  by  hyp¬ 
notized  persons  and  result  from  autosuggestions. 
They  are  probably  self-deceived  and  not  con¬ 
sciously  deceiving  others.  This  subject  will  be 
discussed  in  some  detail  in  the  next  chapter. 

INDUCED  TRANCES. 

Induced  Trances  include  beside  those  self-in¬ 
duced  those  induced  by  others.  These  are  com¬ 
monly  known  as  Hypnotic  Trances  and  are  sim¬ 
ply  the  deeper  states  of  hypnosis.  Any  one  ac¬ 
quainted  with  the  phenomena  of  hypnosis  will 
readily  recognize  that  in  them  we  find  the  ex¬ 
planation  of  all  Trances.  The  uncertainty  found 
in  the  vision  and  revelation  of  Hypnotic  Trances 
are  likewise  observed  in  the  other  Trances.  This 


SOMNAMBULISM  AND  TRANCES.  181 


explains  why  it  is  that  trance  visions  and  revela¬ 
tions  are  to  say  the  least  unreliable. 

Persons  in  subconscious  states  are  phenom¬ 
enally  impressionable.  The  least  sign  or  hint 
will  serve  as  a  suggestion  which  will  color  the 
whole  experience.  It  is  well  known  that  the 
least  hint,  often  unintentionally  given,  will  be  ac¬ 
cepted  and  acted  upon  by  the  hypnotized  per¬ 
son.  In  like  manner  persons  self-hypnotized 
or  self-entranced  are  directed  by  autosuggestion 
often  unintentionally  given.  A  fear,  a  hope,  an 
expectation  or  a  desire  will  and  often  does  direct 
the  experiences  and  results  of  a  self-induced 
Trance.  Beside,  the  environment  of  which  the 
entranced  person  seems  to  be  insensible  is  an 
important  factor  in  producing  phenomena.  Any 
one  consulting  an  entranced  person  by  asking 
leading  questions  can  obtain  almost  any  informa¬ 
tion  (?)  they  desire.  Not  infrequently  I  have 
obtained  absolutely  contradictory  statements 
during  the  same  sitting. 

Spirit  mediums  deny  that  they  are  self-en¬ 
tranced  and  insist  that  they  are  controlled  by  ex- 
carnate  spirits.  The  idea  has  lately  been  sug¬ 
gested  that  spirits  control  or  entrance  mediums 
in  the  same  manner  that  persons  control  or  hyp¬ 
notize  each  other ;  this  is  a  clever  notion  and 
was  introduced,  no  doubt,  to  answer  u$  who  be- 


182  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


lieve  we  see  autohypnosis  in  the  state  known  as 
spirit  control. 

The  unreliability  of  the  experiments  conducted 
by  those  trying  to  verify  the  teachings  of  the 
Mahatmas  by  Trance  and  dream  conditions  is 
manifest.  Such  verifications  are  no  verifications 
at  all,  for  the  autosuggestions  dominating  the 
mind  of  investigators  will  prevent  any  reliable 
results,  which  will  be  little  better  than  meaning¬ 
less  hallucinations.  They  will  obtain  what  they 
expect  to  obtain  whether  it  is  real  or  unreal,  true 
or  false.  The  gentleman  from  England  evidently 
suspected  this  when  he  said,  “You  must  give 
credit  to  the  people  who  undertook  that  labor  at 
least  for  doing  their  best  not  to  deceive.” 

The  prophetic  utterances,  visions  and  revela¬ 
tions  of  Somnambulism  and  Trances  must  be 
verified,  just  as  carefully  as  the  phenomena  of 
hypnosis,  before  they  can  demand  serious  at¬ 
tention.  About  a  century  ago  the  Hypnotized 
or  Mesmerized  subject  was  supposed  to  have 
supernatural  power  and  their  utterances,  visions 
and  revelations  were  considered  infallible,  as  I 
have  said  in  another  writing  on  that  subject, 
Mind  and  Body. 

“They  could  see  through  persons  and  tell  what 
parts  were  affected ;  they  could  predict  the  fu¬ 
ture;  they  could  go  in  spirit  to  distant  places 


SOMNAMBULISM  AND  TRANCES.  183 


and  bring  back  information  about  persons  and 
things ;  they  could  visit  heaven  and  converse 
with  God  and  the  angels — upon  the  reports  of 
such  visits  a  large  volume  was  written  describ¬ 
ing  heaven  and  its  arrangement  and  manage¬ 
ment/’ 

It  was  soon  found  that  the  supposed  departure 
of  the  soul  from  the  body  during  hypnosis  to¬ 
gether  with  most  of  the  revelations  were  fictions 
resulting  from  an  exalted  state  of  mind  in  which 
the  persons  were  dominated  by  suggestion.  It 
is  likely  that  the  utterances,  visions  and  revela¬ 
tions  of  Somnambulism  and  Trances  have  a  sim¬ 
ilar  source  and  value.  These  will  be  considered 
in  greater  detail  in  the  next  chapter,  devoted  to 
the  phenomena  of  Spiritism. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


SPIRITISM. 

The  interest  in  the  subject — Spiritism  defined — Its  re¬ 
lation  to  immortality — The  phenomena — A  list  of 
the  same — Fraudulent  Phenomena — Genuine  Phe¬ 
nomena — The  means  of  the  productions — The 
Medium — Kinds  of  Mediums — All  Mediums  Psy¬ 
chics — Going  under  control — The  manner  of  their 
production — The  Seances — “Fortune  Telling” — 
The  Spiritistic  circle — Slate  writing — The  messages 
— Levitations — Materializations — Explanations  of 
the  production — Spiritists’  theory  discarded — Hal¬ 
lucination  and  Telepathy — This  theory  insufficient  in 
some  instances — Indian  fakirs — The  mind  creation 
theory — “Thoughts  are  things” — Psychics  can  pro¬ 
duce  phantasms — Witchcraft — Some  conclusions. 

The  so-called  spiritualistic  phenomena  have 
startled  the  peoples  of  all  countries,  in  all  ages, 
causing  certain  creepy  sensations  in  the  brave, 
and  terrifying  the  timid,  by  reason  of  their  mys¬ 
tery  and  grewsomeness.  Death  and  its  conse¬ 
quences  have  ever  had  their  terrors  for  the  liv¬ 
ing,  so  phenomena  purporting  to  be  from  the 

185 


186  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


dead  always  find  an  interested  audience.  These 
phenomena  I  have  ventured  to  call  the  psychic 
phenomena  of  Spiritualism,  believing  that  all  of 
the  real  phenomena  have  their  source  in  the 
minds  of  the  living. 

Spiritism  may  be  defined  as  the  belief  and  doc¬ 
trine  that  spirits  of  the  dead  communicate  with 
and  manifest  themselves  in  various  ways  to  the 
living  through  Mediums  at  meetings  called  se¬ 
ances.  The  doctrine  dates  back  many  centuries, 
but  what  is  known  as  Modern  Spiritism  is  only 
a  half  century  old.  Spiritism  is  the  antithesis  of 
materialism  and  teaches  that  there  are  substances 
or  beings  not  cognizable  by  the  senses  and  not 
revealable  through  any  of  the  properties  of  mat¬ 
ter,  except  by  materialization,  and  that  are  there¬ 
fore  spiritual,  as  distinguished  from  material. 
Whether  these  beliefs  and  doctrines  are  well 
founded  or  not  remains  to  be  proven  and  we  sin¬ 
cerely  hope  that  definite  proofs  may  soon  be 
forthcoming.  Deep  down  in  most  of  our  hearts 
nestles  a  belief  in  immortality  together  with  the 
fond  hope  of  a  future  reunion  with  our  loved 
ones  gone  before  in  a  realm  where  all  parting, 
pain  and  time  shall  disappear.  However,  beliefs 
and  hopes  are  not  proofs  and  the  purpose  of  this 
study  is  to  show  that  Spiritism,  as  defined  above, 
is  not  necessary  to  the  explanation  or  produc- 


SPIRITISM. 


187 


tion  of  the  so-called  phenomena  of  Spiritism. 
Let  us  study  first 

THE  PHENOMENA. 

The  phenomena  consist  of  various  scratches, 
raps,  furniture  movings,  levitations,  writings, 
revelations  and  materializations.  But  since  all 
of  the  phenomena  reported  are  not  genuine,  it  is 
necessary  to  sift  and  thoroughly  eliminate  the 
false.  However,  this  is  no  easy  task,  as  every 
one  who  has  tried  it  has  very  soon  discovered. 
There  is  much  fraud  and  imposition,  and  since  it 
is  often  impossible  to  verify  the  phenomena  pro¬ 
duced,  it  is  difficult  to  say  just  how  much  wheat 
there  is  in  the  heap  of  chaff.  Most  of  it  depends 
upon  the  testimony  of  Spiritists,  and  unfortu¬ 
nately  their  testimony  is  often  unreliable.  They 
are  interested  parties,  generally  prejudiced  in  the 
matter,  and  desirous  of  proving  the  truth  of  their 
theories.  They  are  also  notoriously  credulous, 
indeed  they  seem  to  want  to  be  imposed  upon 
Their  conversion  seems  to  be  complete,  and  ever 
afterward  they  swallow  everything  unquestion- 
ingly.  The  whale  swallowing  Jonah  is  put  to 
shame ;  they  would  believe  that  Jonah  swallowed 
the  whale !  A  prominent  Spiritualist  (Home)  in 
speaking  of  their  credulity,  tells  an  experience  he 
had.  He  was  present  at  a  semi-dark  seance, 


188  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


where  a  cabinet  medium  was  performing.  A 
face  appeared  at  the  window  of  the  cabinet,  and 
he  called  the  attention  of  a  person  sitting  beside 
him  to  the  fact  that  the  face  was  simply  a  mask 
without  eyes  in  the  sockets ;  whereupon  this  per¬ 
son  replied,  “The  dear  spirits  have  not  had  time 
to  materialize  the  eyes.”  He  also  expresses  his 
contempt  for  all  dark  seances  as  opportunities  to 
defraud,  and  gives  many  instances  of  imposition 
and  deception. 

After  we  have  thoroughly  sifted  the  phenom¬ 
ena,  and  eliminated  all  that  is  manifestly  fraudu¬ 
lent,  there  still  remains  a  considerable  residuum 
of  apparently  true  phenomena.  It  seems  that 
raps  do  occur ;  certain  revelations  are  made 
which  appear  to  transcend  the  ordinary  intelli¬ 
gence  of  man ;  written  messages  are  received ; 
ponderable  bodies  are  levitated ;  and  some  phan¬ 
tasms  are  materialized.  Now,  have  I  granted 
the  whole  claim?  Let  us  see.  The  source  and 
causes  of  these  phenomena  still  remain  to  be  ex¬ 
plained.  There  are  but  two  possible  explana¬ 
tions,  and  only  one  of  them  is  true.  The  phe¬ 
nomena  result  from  either  supermundane  agen¬ 
cies  or  mundane  influences.  They  are  either  mor¬ 
tal  or  supermortal  phenomena.  Let  us  see  if  we 
can  find  out  what  is  the  truth.  Stainton  Moses, 
a  noted  Spiritist,  says:  “They  (Spiritists)  start 


SPIRITISM. 


189 


with  a  fallacy,  namely,  that  all  phenomena  are 
caused  by  the  action  of  departed  human  spirits. 
They  have  not  looked  into  the  powers  of  the  hu¬ 
man  spirit ;  they  do  not  know  the  extent  to  which 
spirit  acts,  how  far  it  reaches,  what  it  underlies.” 
This  is  precisely  the  weakness  of  their  whole 
system,  as  will  plainly  appear  as  we  proceed  to 
study. 

THE  MEANS  OF  THE  PRODUCTIONS. 

Mediums  are  the  means  of  producing  the  so- 
called  spiritualistic  phenomena,  and  without  their 
aid  none  is  produced.  No  Medium — no  phe¬ 
nomena.  A  Medium  is  “a  person  who  stands 
between  the  living  and  the  dead.”  He  is  the 
“one  whose  psychic  force  supplies  the  power  the 
spirit  uses  to  produce  the  various  phenomena.” 
There  is  a  vast  number  of  different  kinds  of  Me¬ 
diums.  Their  name  is  legion.  They  take  their 
names  from  the  various  kinds  of  phenomena 
produced,  as  fortune  tellers,  slatewriters,  trum¬ 
pet  Mediums,  materializing  Mediums,  and  so  on 
to  the  end  of  a  long  list.  Now,  all  Mediums  are 
Psychics,  but  all  Psychics  are  not  Mediums. 
This  is  fortunate  for  our  study,  for  through  the 
Psychic  we  may  be  able  to  understand  the  Me¬ 
dium.  A  Psychic  is  a  person  who  is  able  to  pro¬ 
duce  peculiar  phenomena  by  means  of  a  natural 


190  the  psychic  and  psychism. 


or  developed  control  of  his  mind,  or  psychic 
powers.  It  appears  that  Mediums  have  no 
powers  that  Psychics  do  not  have ;  and  many 
Psychics  deny  any  spirit  aid  in  their  perform¬ 
ances.  Some  Mediums  also  insist  that  the  power 
resides  within  themselves,  although  they  do  not 
understand  it.  All  Psychics,  whether  Mediums 
or  not,  go  into  more  or  less  profound  trances. 
The  Medium  calls  it  “going  under  control,”  sup¬ 
posedly  the  control  of  some  disembodied  spirit. 
The  Psychics,  who  are  not  Mediums,  say  they 
are  controlled  by  their  subconscious  minds. 
The  easiest  way  to  develop  a  Psychic  is  by  the 
use  of  Hypnotism,  and  those  so  developed  fur¬ 
nish  the  means  for  studying  the  Mediums.  It 
is  observed  that  they  are  all  in  identical  condi¬ 
tions  when  entranced ;  the  means  of  the  produc¬ 
tion  of  the  trance,  alone,  being  different.  The 
first  two,  the  Medium  and  the  self-developed 
Psychic,  go  into  the  trance  by  autosuggestions, 
or  are  self-hypnotized,  while  the  third  goes  into 
the  trance  by  heterosuggestion,  or  is  simply  hyp¬ 
notized.  Now,  if  things  equal  to  the  same  thing 
are  equal  to  each  other,  then  we  must  conclude 
that  there  is  no  difference  between  the  Medium 
and  ordinary  Psychic,  except  in  name.  All 
Psychics  while  entranced  are  highly  suggestible, 
a  fact  which  I  shall  have  occasion  to  refer  to 


SPIRITISM. 


191 


again  a  little  later,  as  it  furnishes  the  explana¬ 
tion  of  some  things  otherwise  not  easily  under¬ 
stood. 

THE  MANNER  OF  THEIR  PRODUCTION. 

The  manner  of  producing  the  so-called  spir¬ 
itistic  phenomena  is  through  the  seances.  A 
seance  is  said  to  be  “a  meeting  for  consulting 
the  spirits”  and  “an  exhibition  of  spirit  phe¬ 
nomena  by  a  Medium.”  Let  us  attend  some  of 
the  various  kinds  of  seances,  for  seances,  like 
the  Mediums,  have  various  names  according  to 
the  phenomena  produced.  We  will  begin  with 
the  more  common,  “fortune  telling.” 

In  order  to  give  the  Medium  a  fair  chance  we 
will  go  to  an  entire  stranger.  What  results  are 
likely  to  follow?  These:  After  the  Medium  has 
fallen  into  a  trance,  he  will  begin  with  some 
highly  complimentary  and  flattering  statements 
as  to  the  sitter’s  character  and  ability ;  then  the 
sitter’s  name  will  be  given,  his  residence  and 
business,  his  past  history,  his  secrets  that  he  sup¬ 
posed  were  known  to  himself  alone,  and  in  fact 
anything  that  the  sitter  has  recorded  in  his  mind. 
The  sitter  will  be  told  whom  he  desires  a  mes¬ 
sage  from,  and  the  message  produced  without 
his  ever  saying  a  word.  The  results  would  be 
the  same  if  he  were  dumb.  These  are  extraordi- 


192  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


nary  revelations,  but  you  will  readily  guess  that 
this  is  simply  a  case  of  Mind  Reading  or  Telep¬ 
athy,  so  I  will  hurry  on  to  the  next  seance. 

A  spiritistic  circle  consists  of  a  few  persons 
who  arrange  themselves  around  a  table  and  lay 
their  hands  upon  it,  and  await  results.  The  re¬ 
sults  usually  consist  of  scratches,  raps  and  levi¬ 
tations,  and  are  considered  bv  some  as  certain 
evidences  of  spirit  presence.  Are  they?  I 
think  not,  for  any  circle,  with  a  Medium  or  with¬ 
out  a  Medium,  composed  of  Spiritists,  Chris¬ 
tians,  Pagans  or  Jews  will  obtain  the  same  re¬ 
sults.  Careful  tests  have  been  made  which  have 
proven  conclusively  that  these  results  follow, 
and  just  as  certainly  that  they  do  not  depend 
upon  any  supermundane  agency.  We  have  all 
seen  the  table-tipping  tried,  and  most  of  us  have 
had  our  part  in  it,  as  children  or  adults,  and  few 
of  us  have  thought  it  due  to  any  force  not  re¬ 
siding  in  our  own  bodies.  Let  us  attend  a 
seance  where  they  do  more  difficult  things. 

The  slate  writing  seance  is  one  that  will  re¬ 
quire  careful  looking  into.  It  is  a  clever  phe¬ 
nomenon,  but  it  often  is  a  trick.  Legerdemain 
plays  an  important  part  here,  as  has  been  shown 
by  many  investigators,  notably  Mr.  J.  S.  Davey, 
a  renegade  Medium.  One  of  the  secretaries  of 
the  Society  for  Psychical  Research  says  of  the 


SPIRITISM. 


193 


phenomena  he  produced  without  spirit  aid : 
“Time  would  fail  me  to  tell  all  the  marvels  per¬ 
formed  by  Mr.  Davey’s  agency  and  attested  by 
educated  and  intelligent  eye-witnesses.  He 
produced  a  long  message  in  Japanese  for  a  Japa¬ 
nese  marquis ;  he  made,  or  seemed  to  make, 
pieces  of  chalk  under  a  glass  describe  geomet¬ 
rical  figures  at  the  unexpressed  wish  of  the  sit¬ 
ter  ;  he  made  a  tumbler  walk  across  the  table  in 
full  light;  he  wrote  messages  on  double  slates, 
securely  sealed  and  screwed  together;  he  mate¬ 
rialized  in  strong  light  a  woman’s  head,  which 
floated  in  the  air  and  then  dematerialized,  and 
the  half-length  figure  of  a  bearded  man  in  a  tur¬ 
ban,  reading  a  book,  who  bowed  to  the  circle 
and  finally  disappeared  through  the  ceiling  with 
a  scraping  noise.”  Even  if  any  of  the  phenom¬ 
ena  were  true,  though  none  of  it  is  beyond  the 
power  of  the  prestidigitateur,  the  nature  of  the 
messages  written  upon  the  slates  would  suffice 
to  render  it  unimportant.  Let  us  consider  them 
a  moment :  They  all  profess  to  be  from  the 
dead.  Are  they?  No.  I  was  favored  by  a 
Medium  with  several  messages,  for  value  re¬ 
ceived,  and,  briefly,  this  is  the  result:  I  wrote 
to  a  dead  friend  and  got  in  response  an  answer 
expressed  in  general  terms  which  was  fairly  sat¬ 
isfactory.  Next  I  wrote  a  note  to  my  living 


194  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


dog,  asking  if  he  had  found  his  mother  and 
whether  he  was  happy  and  liked  his  new  home. 
The  answer  came  in  a  few  moments :  He  was 
all  right,  etc.,  signed  by  the  dog’s  name  as  I 
had  addressed  him.  “Well,”  I  ruminated,  “per¬ 
haps  the  dog  has  died  since  I  left  Kim,  and  in  his 
spirit  form  has  responded.  I  want  to  be  sure, 
so  I  will  try  again.  The  door-post  certainly 
could  not  answer,  so  I  will  write  to  it.”  I  wrote 
to  D.  Post  and  got  an  affectionate  reply.  What 
could  I  think?  What  would  you  think?  Are 
the  messages  worth  much  consideration?  Are 
they  to  be  relied  upon?  I  have  said,  and  repeat, 
“No.”  Here  is  where  the  suggestibility  comes 
in ;  the  Medium  is  under  an  autosuggestion  that 
he  is  the  instrument  of  departed  spirits,  and  con¬ 
sequently  is  compelled  to  write  from  that  view 
point.  In  some  instances  the  Mediums  are  self- 
deceived,  and  are  honest  in  their  protestations 
that  they  are  innocent  of  conscious  fraud.  I 
wish  to  call  attention  to  a  contest  which  occurred 
in  Tremont  Temple,  Boston,  before  leaving  this 
subject. 

Rev.  Arthur  A.  Waite,  who  had  been  a  Me¬ 
dium,  claimed  that  he  would  duplicate  any  feat 
that  the  friends  of  Spiritism  could  accomplish. 
His  challenge  was  accepted,  the  trial  came  off, 
and  he  repeated  and  explained  every  one  of  the 


SPIRITISM. 


195 


Medium’s  tricks  and  forced  him  to  retreat  in 
confusion. 

One  thing  should  be  noticed,  namely,  that 
messages  in  the  form  of  essays  and  speeches 
from  the  shades  of  Bacon,  Washington,  Clay 
and  Webster,  are  unworthy  of  those  men,  and 
more  like  the  productions  of  unlearned  school¬ 
boys  or  imbeciles.  If  they  are  genuine  effu¬ 
sions  of  these  illustrious  shades,  we  must  con¬ 
clude  with  Hamilton,  that  they  are  “souls  in  the 
process  of  losing  their  mental  powers,  souls  fad¬ 
ing  away,  souls  destined  to  become  extinct,” 
and  such  a  belief  rather  makes  against  the  dig¬ 
nity  and  reality  of  immortality.  If  Spiritists 
could  prove  that  the  messages  were  from  spirits, 
even  that  would  not  prove  a  future  life,  for  it 
is  impossible  to  prove  that  the  spirits  had  ever 
been  dwellers  upon  the  earth  in  bodily  forms. 
We  are  obliged  to  take  the  testimony  of  the 
spirits,  and  this,  according  to  many  authorities 
on  Spiritisms,  is  unreliable.  One  author  says, 
“The  spirits  can  say  what  they  like,  assume  to 
be  what  they  please.”  Again  I  ask  what  is  such 
testimony  worth?  Nothing. 

Levitation,  or  floating  in  the  air,  is  among  the 
rare  phenomena  of  Spiritism,  and  while  we  may 
not  fully  understand  how  it  is  done,  I  am  sure 
that  it  is  not  necessary  to  conclude  that  ponder- 


i%  the  psychic  and  psychism. 


able  things  are  borne  up  by  angel  hands.  We 
have  strong  statements  from  good  authorities 
that  levitation  can  be  produced  without  the  in¬ 
terposition  of  spirit  agencies.  We  are  told  that 
“the  priests  of  Siam,  when  in  the  sacred  pagoda, 
mount  fifty  feet  in  the  air  with  taper  in  hand, 
and  flit  from  idol  to  idol,  lighting  up  the  niches, 
self-supported,  and  stepping  as  confidently  as 
though  they  were  upon  the  solid  ground.”  “The 
officers  of  the  Russian  squadron  in  Japanese 
waters  relate  the  fact  that,  besides  many  other 
marvels,  they  saw  jugglers  walk  in  mid-air  with¬ 
out  the  slightest  support.” — (Blavatsky.)  I  do 
not  know  how  this  is  done,  but  it  does  not  neces¬ 
sarily  involve  the  supernatural.  The  Adepts  do 
these  things,  and  one  was  heard  to  say  in  expla¬ 
nation  that  they  are  persons  “who  know  that  the 
power  to  produce  these  phenomena  resides  in 
themselves,  and  who  possess  the  intelligence  to 
control  and  direct  it.”  A  friend  of  mind,  who 
has  been  under  the  tutelage  of  several  Indian 
teachers,  told  me  that  he  had  succeeded  in  levita¬ 
ting  his  own  body,  that  he  had  floated  about  his 
room.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  we  shall  know 
more  of  this  power  in  the  near  future. 

Materialization  is  the  crowning  glory  of  the 
Mediums.  The  phenomena  vary  from  faint, 
shadowy  visions,  to  palpable  phantasms  that 


SPIRITISM. 


197 


may  be  caught  and  fixed  upon  the  photographic 
plate.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  most 
of  these  manifestations  are  fraud,  for  nearly  all, 
if  not  all,  of  the  prominent  materializing  Me¬ 
diums  have  been  detected  and  exposed  as  im¬ 
postors.  But  there  are  phenomena  that  have 
been  observed  and  vouched  for,  and  recorded  by 
competent  and  trustworthy  persons ;  and  -some 
of  us  have  seen  and  heard  for  ourselves.  Now, 
confident  that  we  are  dealing  with  facts,  we  feel 
that  it  is  worthy  of  our  best  efforts  to  discover 
and  understand  the  laws  which  underlie  and  gov¬ 
ern  these  apparitions.  It  has  been  proven  that 
certain  shapes,  resembling  human  persons,  ani¬ 
mals  and  inanimate  objects,  have  appeared,  and 
from  time  to  time  do  appear  to  the  living.  In 
other  words,  phantasms,  apparitions,  or  ghosts, 
have  appeared,  and  do  appear  to  the  living. 
What  are  the  causes  and  the  possible  explana¬ 
tions  of  the  existence  of  these  impalpable  crea¬ 
tions?  There  are  but  the  two  possibilities  before 
mentioned ;  they  are  due  to  forces  controlled  by 
the  living,  or  they  are  the  manifestations  of  the 
dead.  Let  us  examine  them. 

Ghosts  have  appeared  in  all  ages,  and  in  all 
forms.  The  favorite  character  in  the  Bible  is 
the  angel.  Again  and  again  we  are  told  that 
angels  have  appeared  and  have  talked  with  men 


198  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


and  women.  In  secular  records  they  have  ap¬ 
peared  singly  and  in  groups,  usually  clothed  and 
bodily  complete ;  but  at  times  only  part  of  the 
body  has  appeared,  as  a  face  or  a  hand.  There 
seems  to  be  some  definitely  intelligent  purpose 
of  the  ghostly  visitors,  as  the  revelation  of  a 
secret,  the  telling  of  news,  or  the  disclosure  of 
a  crime.  In  the  latter  case  the  appearance  of 
the  spectre  is  at  the  place  of  the  perpetration 
of  the  crime,  and  often  recurring  only  at  inter¬ 
vals,  as  at  the  anniversary  of  the  deed.  It  is 
rare  that  ghosts  appear  except  in  cases  of  vio¬ 
lent  death,  the  more  violent  the  death,  the  more 
likely  is  the  phantasm  to  appear.  Most  of  these 
creations  have  sad,  melancholy,  or  even  suffer¬ 
ing  expressions,  as  though  they  were  the  chil¬ 
dren  born  of  anguish  and  despair. 

EXPLANATIONS  OF  THE  PRODUCTION. 

In  seeking  the  explanations  of  these  phenom¬ 
ena,  the  scientific  axiom  that  forbids  the  attrib¬ 
uting  of  any  phenomenon  to  supernatural  influ¬ 
ence  that  may  be  explained  by  natural  forces, 
compels  us  to  discard  the  Spiritist’s  theory. 
However,  that  theory  is  wholly  unnecessary,  as 
well  as  inadequate.  There  are  two  other,  better 
explanations,  namely,  I  .  The  phenomena  are 
due  to  Hallucination  and  Telepathy,  and  2. 
They  are  actual  Creations  of  the  Mind. 


SPIRITISM. 


199 


Hallucination  and  Telepathy  do  certainly 
cover  and  explain  a  large  number  of  these  phe¬ 
nomena,  no  doubt,  but  in  my  judgment  they  are 
inadequate  in  some  cases.  The  Indian  fakirs  do 
some  wonderful  feats  through  these  means.  A 
friend  of  mind  who  was  for  a  number  of  years  in 
the  service  of  the  English  government  in  India', 
told  me  some  of  the  marvels  he  saw.  lie  said : 
“One  day  a  group  of  officers  and  natives  were 
watching  a  fakir,  and  we  saw  plainly  a  full-grown 
tiger  walk  in  our  midst,  but  a  snap  shot  with  a 
kodak  failed  to  catch  the  tiger  upon  the  photo¬ 
graphic  plate.  I  saw  the  ‘basket  trick,’  as  it  is 
known.  A  fakir  comes  down  the  street  with  a 
large  basket  upon  his  head,  and  as  soon  as  a 
crowd  assembles,  he  takes  from  the  basket  a 
square  cloth  and  spreads  it  upon  the  ground; 
then  he  seizes  a  boy  from  the  crowd — apparently 
any  boy — lays  him  upon  the  cloth  and  covers 
him  with  the  basket.  He  then  takes  a  short 
sword  and  runs  it  through  the  basket  again  and 
again  in  all  directions.  The  sword  is  smeared 
with  blood,  and  the  boy  screams,  but  when  the 
basket  is  removed  by  some  anxious  spectator, 
no  boy  is  found  there.”  And  a  lot  more  tricks 
of  a  similar  kind  were  witnessed.  We  are  only 
beginners  in  the  study  of  Thought  Transference 
and  hallucination. 


200  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


There  is  a  group  of  investigators  who  offer  a 
solution  of  the  mysteries  of  phantasms,  ghosts, 
and  the  like,  who  suggest  that  they  are 
creations  of  the  minds  of  the  living  more 
or  less  material,  and  correspondingly  recog¬ 
nizable  by  the  senses.  To  me  this  is  the 
most  probable  and  satisfactory  explanation, 
although  it  is  difficult  of  demonstration.  Of 
materialization  Hudson  says:  “Like  all  other 
so-called  spirit  phenomena  it  is,  in  my  mind, 
directly  traceable  to  the  power  of  the  subjective 
mind  of  the  Medium,  aided  by  telepathic  com¬ 
munion  with  the  sitter.”  It  appears  that  these 
psychic  creations,  or  palpable  thoughts — for 
“thoughts  are  things” — differ  from  telepathic 
communications  only  in  degree.  The  condi¬ 
tions  under  which  they  are  produced  explain  the 
differences.  It  has  been  noticed  that  the  most 
favorable  condition  of  the  mind  for  telepathic 
and  other  like  actions,  is  when  the  subconscious 
mind  is  most  nearly  in  complete  control,  and  this 
condition  obtains  at  the  hour  of  death,  or  when 
the  functions  of  the  body  are  temporarily  sus¬ 
pended.  The  Psychics  who  are  able  to  produce 
these  creations  are  those  who  fall  into  the  most 
profound  trances.  The  ordinary,  or  primary, 
consciousness  is  wholly  in  abeyance,  and  the 
subconscious  mind  is  in  complete  control.  Now, 


SPIRITISM. 


201 


the  creations  in  Thought  Transference  are  tran¬ 
sient,  and  dissolve  as  soon  as  they  have  fulfilled 
their  missons,  while  those  produced  in  the  agony 
of  death,  or  under  strong  emotions,  are  more 
substantial  and  lasting,  both  by  reason  of  their 
birth  and  their  mission.  The  extreme  effort  of 
a  tortured  soul  to  protest  and  proclaim  against 
a  murderer,  doubtless  accounts  for  the  appari¬ 
tions  which  reenact  the  ghastly  scenes  at  the 
place  of  their  perpetration.  The  effort  of  a  de¬ 
parting  soul  to  say  a  last  long  farewell  to  its 
loved  ones,  must  account  for  the  phantasm  which 
takes  on  a  shadowy  form  and  appears  to  take  a 
last  lingering  look  into  the  faces  of  the  dear  ones. 
The  likeness,  in  these  cases,  to  the  individual  is 
natural  and  readily  explained,  but  not  so  those 
produced  by  Psychics,  it  is  claimed.  When  it 
is  remembered,  however,  that  the  Psychic  is  in 
telepathic  communion  with  the  sitter,  and  can 
get  the  picture  from  his  mind,  this  difficulty 
vanishes. 

This  theory  of  Thought  Creation  also  affords 
an  explanation  for  a  fact  that  neither  of  the 
others  cover,  namely,  the  almost  uniformly  sad 
or  anguished  expression  upon  the  face  of  the 
shades.  Resulting  as  they  do  from  minds 
racked  with  physical  pain,  in  the  throes  of  death, 
it  is  natural  that  they  should  have  such  expres- 


202  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


sions.  It  also  explains  another  set  of  cases 
which  the  other  theories  failed  to  touch.  It 
often  happens  that  sensitive  persons  are  affected 
by  the  influence  of  the  thoughts  of  those  who 
have  previously  occupied  a  room  or  a  house. 
No  ghost  or  phantasm  is  seen  or  heard,  but  the 
influence  from  the  previous  occupant  is  felt ; 
sometimes  it  is  of  one  character,  sometimes  of 
another,  but  most  often  it  is  disagreeable,  and 
frequently  of  such  a  nature  as  to  compel  the  vic¬ 
tim  to  move.  This  is  especially  true  if  the  for¬ 
mer  occupant  was  the  victim  of  great  sorrow  or 
strong  emotions  of  any  kind ;  it  is  not  necessary 
to  the  condition  that  the  person  should  have 
died. 

The  phenomena  rendering  witchcraft  so  inex¬ 
plicable,  can  readily  be  accounted  for  by  the 
mind  creation  theory.  That  they — the  witches 
— wrere  able  to  perform  and  did  perform  many 
wonders  is  common  history,  and  historians  give 
details  of  some  of  their  known  methods,  which 
seem  to  point  to  the  fact  that  they  were  Psy¬ 
chics,  and  went  into  self-induced  trances,  in' 
order  to  send  their  cats,  hobgoblins  and  demons 
to  harass  the  victims  of  their  enmity. 

Now,  if  man  can  create  phantasms,  as  it 
seems  that  he  can,  is  it  not  natural  and  logical 
that  we  should,  at  least,  try  to  harmonize  with 


SPIRITISM. 


203 


this  fact  certain  similar  phantasms,  apparitions, 
ghosts,  shades  or  what  not,  produced  by  Me¬ 
diums?  To  my  mind,  that  the  creation  of  all 
phantasms  is  by  the  subconscious  mind,  is  all 
but  proven.  In  any  case  I  have  given  you  a 
more  acceptable  theory  than  the  one  offered  by 
the  Spiritists,  for  it  observes  the  axiom  which 
forbids  us  to  refer  explainable  phenomena  to 
supernatural  agencies.  I,  for  one,  until  we  have 
carried  our  explorations  much  farther  than  we 
have  at  present,  and  have  fixed  more  definitely 
the  boundaries  of  the  natural,  will  not  abandon 
the  firm  conviction  that  neither  demon  nor 
ghost,  angel  nor  devil,  are  necessary  to  account 
for  the  strange  happenings  and  phenomena  that 
we  have  had  under  consideration. 

Now,  in  conclusion,  while  it  is  plain  that  the 
phenomena  brought  forward  as  proofs  of  the 
theory  of  Spiritism  are  insufficient  and  unsatis¬ 
factory,  it  does  not  necessarily  follow  that  im¬ 
mortality  is  a  fallacy.  On  the  contrary,  it  should 
stimulate  a  renewed  effort  and  a  more  careful 
study  so  that,  if  possible,  satisfactory  and  certain 
proofs  of  a  future  life  may  be  found.  Suctf 
studies,  as  those  recently  conducted  with  Mrs. 
Piper  and  Miss  Hellene  Smith,  are  steps  in 
the  right  direction  and  should  be  heartily  encour¬ 
aged  by  all  who  are  interested  in  the  subject,  for 


204  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


they  deal  with  the  problem  involving  the  most 
tremendous  facts  that  can  engage  the  attention 
of  the  human  mind. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


THE  FUTURE  OF  PSYCHISM. 

A  forecast  of  Psychism — Some  problems  to  be  solved — 
The  Psychic’s  character  must  be  exalted — Psychism 
must  prepare  the  way  for  the  development  of  such  a 
character — No  Psychic  influence  without  its  power 
for  good  or  ill — The  study  of  the  future  will  be  the 
study  of  the  forces  within  man — “Do  coming  events 
cast  their  shadows  before  them?” — “If  a  man  die 
shall  he  live  again?” — Our  banner  bears  the  motto 
Psychism. 

Augury  is  out  of  place  in  a  serious  scientific 
study,  but  having  made  a  review  of  Psychism 
we  may  be  allowed  to  make  a  forecast  of  its  fu¬ 
ture.  The  present  status  of  the  thing  always 
presents  some  promise  of  its  future.  Measur¬ 
ing  Psychism  by  this  method,  it  looks  as  if  it 
would  have  a  glorious  future ;  at  least,  it  em¬ 
bodies  grand  possibilities.  Whether  it  will  rise 
tc  the  occasion  and  make  the  most  of  these  pos¬ 
sibilities  and  thus  justify  its  usefulness  to  man¬ 
kind  is  uncertain.  There  are  many  problems 

205 


206  the  psychic  and  psychism. 


and  questions  which  present  themselves  to  Psy¬ 
chism  for  solution  which  must  be  fairly  met  and 
answered.  Its  future  depends  upon  its  ability  to 
solve  some  of  the  following  problems. 

The  character  of  the  Psychic  must  be  raised 
from  its  present  low  status  to  a  high,  enviable 
position.  The  man  that  is  now  marked  by  his 
eccentricity,  moral  twist,  lax  life  and  physical 
depletion  must  be  transformed  into  the  man  who 
shall  be  marked  by  his  serene,  morally  upright, 
Christ-like  life  and  physical  perfection.  A 
transformation  as  necessary  as  it  is  profound. 
If  the  Psychic  is  the  highest  product  of  evolu¬ 
tion  he  must  be  placed  in  the  very  best  light. 
He  has  been  the  exception,  the  first  fruit  of  the 
evolutionary  process ;  as  such,  he  must  be  the 
example  elevated  for  all  men  to  observe  and  fol¬ 
low.  Instead  of  being  the  exception  he  must 
become  the  rule  of  human  development.  One 
such  character  who  had  reached  the  acme  of 
psychic  development  lived  upon  the  earth ;  He 
walked  and  talked  with  men,  performed  wonders, 
healed  the  sick  and  assured  His  followers  that 
the  works  that  He  did  and  the  life  that  He  lived, 
pure  and  simple,  they  might  do  and  live.  He 
was  such  a  character  and  reflected  such  a  perfect 
manhood  that  His  enemies  were  forced  to  dis¬ 
tinguish  Him  by  the  exclamation,  “Behold  the 


THE  FUTURE  OF  PSYCHISM.  207 


Man!”  Such  an  one  is  the  Psychic  of  the  fu¬ 
ture. 

The  development  of  such  a  character  as  has 
been  portrayed  above  is  the  work  of  Psychism. 
Voices  are  now  crying  in  the  wilderness  of  igno¬ 
rance  and  superstition,  “Prepare  ye  the  way,” 
and  it  is  the  business  of  Psychism  to  prepare 
the  way.  The  way  must  be  sure,  safe  and  broad. 
The  dangers  that  have  attended  the  ways  and 
methods  of  the  past  must  be  removed.  All  who 
sincerely  start  should  be  able  to  reach  the  goal 
of  their  ambition.  The  possibility,  not  to  say 
probability,  of  unbalancing  the  reason  and  fetch¬ 
ing  up  in  an  insane  asylum  must  be  removed. 
Surely  it  is  possible  for  all  to  follow  in  the  foot¬ 
steps  of  the  Master  without  running  such  dire 
risks.  Some  few  have  been  enabled  to  do  so, 
and^t  remains  for  Psychism  to  point  out  a  broad, 
safe,  sure  way — broad  enough  for  all  who  wish 
to  follow  Him.  Many  aspire  to  a  Christ-like 
life  and  character  who  have  been  unable  to  find 
the  way  which  leads  to  them.  When  Psychism 
has  performed  its  office,  opened  the  door  and 
shown  the  way,  many  will  turn  their  faces  toward 
soul-culture  and  begin  to  know  themselves. 

The  importance  of  environment  and  the  power 
of  Suggestion  to  make  or  mar  men  must  be  em¬ 
phasized.  Psychism  must  point  out  the  fact 


THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


«vT£'*' 


208 


that  no  psychic  influence  is  without  its  power 
and  that  the  sum  total  of  such  influences  is  re¬ 
sponsible  for  human  character.  When  we  real¬ 
ize  this  we  shall  be  more  careful  of  our  words 
and  actions,  for  every  word  lives  and  every  action 
has  its  effect.  The  health  and  happiness  of 
those  around  us  depend  upon  us.  We  may 
make  them  ill  or  unhappy,  or  we  may  make  them 
well  and  happy.  Few  persons  realize  their 
power,  and  it  is  the  privilege  of  Psychism  to 
teach  the  power  that  resides  in  man  to  the  many. 
Animals  show  more  intelligence  than  men ;  they 
seek  out  and  eat  of  the  plant  that  cures  their  ills, 
while  man  too  often  dies  in  his  ignorance.  The 
divinity  that  placed  the  instinct  in  the  animal 
has  not  left  man  less  complete.  It  remains  for 
man  to  seek  out  and  use  his  powers,  to  know 
himself.  What  the  animal  does  by  instinct  of 
necessity,  man  should  do  by  intuition,  of  choice. 
Health  and  happiness  will  be  the  rule  with  those 
who  know  and  use  their  psychic  powers. 

The  study  of  the  future  will  be  the  study  of  the 
things  within,  instead  of  outside  of  man.  Psy¬ 
chism  has  an  almost  inexhaustible  mine  of  treas¬ 
ures  to  unearth  and  develop.  The  mighty  forces 
of  nature  outside  of  man  have  long  been  ex¬ 
ploited  before  the  bewildered  gaze  of  the  won¬ 
dering  world,  but  these  are  likely  to  be  sur- 


THE  FUTURE  OF  PSYCHISM. 


90STO* 

c*csrr 


209 


passed  by  the  magnificent  powers  of  man’s  mind. 
The  far-reaching,  penetrating  perception  is  only 
surpassed  by  the  delicate  receptivity  of  the  human 
mind.  The  wonders  of  mechanical  devices  are 
only  imperfect  imitations  of  the  more  wonderful 
mechanism  of  man.  Wireless  telegraphy  and 
the  X-ray  represent  the  acme  of  the  mechanical 
use  of  electricity,  and  while  they  are  most  won¬ 
derful  they  shrink  into  insignificance  when  com¬ 
pared  with  the  delicate  activities  of  the  mind. 
Surely  the  salvation  of  mankind  is  found  within 
man !  Psychism  must  take  the  developments  of 
the  past  and  present  and  arrange  and  add  to 
them  until  it  has  budded  a  science  of  mind  the 
like  of  which  the  world  has  never  dreamed.  By 
doing  so  it  will  usher  in  the  era  when  man  shall 
become  God-like  in  his  power ;  he  will  get  into 
harmony  with  the  universe  and  be  able  to  catch 
and  interpret  the  thought  waves  of  the  world, 
to  see  and  hear  without  limit,  recognize  and 
understand  the  souls  of  things.  When  man 
reaches  this  condition  there  will  be  no  question 
about  life’s  being  worth  the  living,  for  to  live 
will  be  sublime. 

The  waking  hours  will  be  full  of  joy  and  hope 
and  opportunities  for  knowing  ourselves,  and 
during  Sleep  our  Dreams  will  become  coherent 
and  full  of  meaning.  Psychism  will  translate 


210  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


the  phantasms  of  the  night,  from  unsubstantial 
fancies  into  intelligent  messages.  Sleep  will  be¬ 
come  not  only  a  period  of  bodily  rest,  but  a  sea¬ 
son  of  intellectual  activity.  The  prophetic 
dreams  that  have  so  long  mystified  us  will  be 
understood  in  both  manner  and  meaning.  For 
Psychism  must  solve  the  question,  “Do  coming 
events  cast  their  shadows  before  them?”  Coin¬ 
cidence  does  not  satisfy  the  inquirer  about  such 
dreams.  Too  many  prophetic  visions  of  the 
night  are  fulfilled  to  allow  such  an  explanation. 
Science  has  been  accustomed  to  deny  the  possi¬ 
bility  of  prescience  where  free  moral  agency  is 
concerned,  but  there  are  many  who  contradict 
the  dictum  of  science.  Psychism  must  come  to 
our  aid  and  solve  and  explain  these  mysteries 
for  us. 

Closely  allied  to  dream  experiences  are  the 
experiences  had  in  Trances.  Many  revelations 
have  been  made  to  entranced  persons.  These 
revelations  have  been  remembered  and  translated 
by  such  persons  after  their  return  to  their  normal 
state.  Some  of  the  visions  and  revelations  have 
proven  reliable  and  true,  while  many  others 
have  proven  to  be  fanciful  and  false.  Psychism 
has  a  work  to  do  in  this  connection.  Whence 
do  these  revelations  come  and  what  is  their  im¬ 
portance?  Is  it  possible  to  find  out  their  source 


THE  FUTURE  OF  PSYCHISM. 


211 


and  meaning?  We  look  to  Psychism  to  answer 
these  questions  about  the  trance  revelations  that 
form  the  foundation  of  most  religions.  It  is  a 
vital  matter,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  it  may 
soon  be  understood. 

Another  mystery  still  more  inscrutable  to  us 
confronts  Psychism,  namely,  the  mystery  of 
death.  All  have  to  meet  the  king  of  terrors, 
and  none  escapes  unconquered.  All  must  pass 
into  the  realm  of  the  unknown,  from  whence  it 
is  said  no  traveler  has  ever  returned  to  give  an 
account.  The  question  propounded  by  the  an¬ 
cients,  “If  a  man  die,  shall  he  live  again?"  re¬ 
mains  unanswered.  Many  answers  have  been 
made,  but  none  that  has  been  satisfactory  to  all. 
Can  Psychism  formulate  such  an  answer?  It 
seems  incredible  that  the  human  soul,  with  all 
of  its  possibilities  and  powers,  should  come  into 
consciousness  and  attain  such  a  height  of  devel¬ 
opment,  only  to  go  out  into  utter  darkness  like 
a  burned-out  candle.  Our  hearts  whisper  some¬ 
thing  of  the  future  and  our  minds  seem  to  catch 
glimpses  of  another  life.  Is  the  time  coming 
when  our  hearts  shall  speak  plainly  and  our 
minds  shall  know  certainly  of  that  life?  We 
look  to  Psychism  for  an  answer,  and  I  do  not 
think  we  look  in  vain.  The  minds  that  can  send 
and  receive  thought  messages  from  continent  to 


212  THE  PSYCHIC  AND  PSYCHISM. 


continent,  may  some  day  be  able  to  send  and  re¬ 
ceive  them  across  the  gulf  that  separates  us  from 
the  great  unknown.  There  are  rumors  that 
some  are  already  able  to  do  so,  and  we  are  anx¬ 
iously  awaiting  the  proofs  of  their  ability. 

The  friends  of  Psychism  should  rally  to  aid 
it  in  its  onerous  but  promising  work.  Men  and 
means  are  necessary  for  the  exploration  and  de¬ 
velopment  of  this  field  of  study.  The  work 
should  not  be  left  to  a  few;  all  are  interested 
in  the  results  and  all  should  take  part  in  the 
work.  Much  has  been  accomplished  already  by 
a  few  faithful  workers,  but  much  more  will  be 
accomplished  when  all  who  are  interested  in  this 
subject  freely  lend  their  aid. 

Forerunners  have  already,  scaled  the  moun¬ 
tains  and  have  planted  the  banner  upon  the  top¬ 
most  peak  of  vantage,  where  it  unfurls  and  floats 
upon  the  breeze,  encouragingly  displaying  the 
motto  “PSYCHISM.”  Let  us  follow  and  rally 
around  our  banner. 


APPENDIX  A. 


THE  METHODS  OF  HYPNOTIZING. 

Hypnotism  has  reached  its  present  scientific 
position  through  a  tedious  evolution.  Like 
every  other  science,  it  has  had  to  struggle  for 
existence,  and  only  after  a  hard  fight  has  it  re¬ 
ceived  due  recognition.  In  its  various  stages  of 
development,  widely  differing  theories  have  been 
held  as  to  its  nature,  the  methods  of  inducing  its 
states  and  producing  its  phenomena. 

These  have  been  pointed  out,  but  it  remains  to 
explain  and  illustrate  them,  for  upon  them  de¬ 
pends  its  successful  therapeutic  application. 

Each  of  the  several  schools  of  hypnotism  has 
its  methods ;  the  mesmerists  claim  that  the  op¬ 
erator  exerts  a  personal  influence  over  his  sub¬ 
jects,  and  they  use  passes  and  magnets,  but  this 
influence  is  denied  by  the  other  two  schools.  The 
Salpetriere  school  uses  sudden,  sharp,  sensorial 
shocks.  The  Nancy  school  uses  slight,  pro¬ 
longed,  sensorial  stimuli.  They  both  succeed,  so 
it  is  fair  to  conclude  that  hypnotic  states  may 
be  induced  (i)  by  sudden,  strong,  sensorial  stim-/ 

213 


214 


APPENDIX. 


illation,  as  a  bright  light  or  a  loud  sound ;  (2)  by 
slight,  prolonged,  sensorial  stimulation,  as  a 
light  touch  or  a  low,  monotonous  sound. 

However,  the  influence  of  suggestion  must 
not  be  overlooked,  for  it  is  a  factor  second  to 
none  in  the  production  of  induced  sleep.  When 
the  subject  expects  to  be  hynotized,  his  mind 
contributes  to  the  success  of  the  operation,  and 
he  the  more  readily  falls  into  the  hypnosis.  Hyp¬ 
nosis  is  a  psychic  state  similar  to  natural  sleep. 

It  is  essential  to  prepare  the  subject’s  mind  be¬ 
fore  attempting  to  hypnotize  him,  precisely  for 
the  reason  that  it  is  a  mental  operation.  Luys 
well  said :  “The  hypnotizer  is  nothing ;  the  hyp¬ 
notized  subject  everything.”  Without  the  con- 

cious  cooperation  of  the  subject,  failures  will  be 
frequent.  The  operator  should  explain  the  sim¬ 
plicity  of  the  operation ;  clear  it  as  much  as  pos¬ 
sible  of  all  mystery,  minimize  its  dangers,  and 
emphasize  its  benefits.  After  having  removed  all 
fear  and  resistance  from  the  mind  of  the  sub¬ 
ject,  he  should  place  him  in  a  comfortable  posi¬ 
tion  and  have  him  thoroughly  relax  body  and 
mind  and  become  passive. 

Now,  we  are  ready  to  begin,  but  must  not 
hurry.  It  is  often  wise  to  spend  the  first  visit  in 
subject  is  a  stranger.  It  gives  his  mind  time  to 
prepare  for  the  hypnosis. 


APPENDIX. 


215 


It  has  been  hinted  that  the  personal  influ¬ 
ence  is  of  small  account,  but  in  one  sense  this  is 
far  from  true.  While  it  is  true  that  the  operator 
does  not  possess  a  peculiar  “power,”  it  is  not 
true  that  his  influence  is  unimportant.  It  is  all 
important  that  he  should  be  able  to  win  the  con¬ 
fidence  of  his  subject  and  make  him  believe  that 
he  can  do  what  he  is  about  to  attempt.  Every¬ 
thing  depends  upon  the  effects  produced  upon 
the  subject’s  mind,  and  the  best  operator  is  he 
who  can  most  easily  convince  his  patients  that 
what  he  says  is  true,  and  what  he  predicts  will 
happen.  His  experience  brings  self-confidence, 
but  suggestion  is  the  power  and  not  a  personal 
force  or  fluid,  as  claimed  by  the  mesmerists. 
Confidence  is  contagious. 

The  importance  of  thus  carefully  preparing  the 
patient  will  be  appreciated  by  physicians  when  it 
is  borne  in  mind  that  the  results  obtained  in  the 
first  treatment  will  exert  a  marked  influence 
upon  all  future  results.  Fear  and  resistance, 
either  conscious  or  unconscious,  will  often  pre¬ 
vent  success.  An  uncomfortable  position  may 
have  the  same  effect.  As  little  things  hinder  nat¬ 
ural  sleep,  so  do  they  interfere  with  the  induc¬ 
tion  of  hypnosis. 

Having  prepared  the  subject  mentally  and 
physically,  we  begin  by  assuring  him  that  he  is 


216 


APPENDIX. 


t 


resting  comfortably  and  will  soon  go  to  sleep. 
Have  him  close  his  eyes  and  rest  passively  and 
then  talk  to  him  in  a  monotonous  tone  of  voice 
somewhat  as  follows: 

“You  are  now  thoroughly  relaxed  in  mind 
and  body,  and  are  going  to  sleep.  It  is  easy 
to  go  to  sleep.  All  one  has  to  do  is  to  let  go  of 
everything  and  drift,  drift,  drift  into  sleep,  sleep, 
sleep.  You  are  becoming  very  sleepy;  your 
eyelids  are  very  heavy,  and  soon  you  will  be 
sound  asleep,  asleep,  asleep.  You  do  not  plainly 
hear  what  I  say,  and  I  do  not  want  you  to.  Just 
let  yourself  drift,  drift,  drift  into  a  sound,  sweet 
sleep,  sleep,  sleep.  Breathe  deeply  and  regularly. 
Now  you  are  asleep;  your  eyes  are  fast  shut; 
the  lids  are  so  heavy  that  you  cannot  open  them. 
You  will  Yemain  asleep  until  I  tell  you  to 
awaken.” 

Now  place  your  hand  lightly  on  his  forehead, 
or  your  fingers  upon  his  eyelids,  and  assure  him 
that  he  is  sleeping  soundly  and  comfortably; 
that  he  is  happy  and  having  a  good  rest  and  will 
be  greatly  refreshed  by  it.  Keep  up  these  sug¬ 
gestions  for  five  minutes  or  longer  and  he  will 
fall  into  an  hypnosis,  more  or  less  profound,  and 
be  ready  for  the  curative  suggestions. 

Take  another  subject  and  place  him  in  the 
same  comfortable  position,  wholly  relaxed  and 


APPENDIX. 


217 


passive.  Turn  him  toward  the  light  and  direct 
him  to  look  into  one  of  your  eyes.  Stand  so 
that  your  eye  will  be  a  little  above  the  line  of  his 
vision  and  about  seven  inches  from  his  eyes. 
Having  to  look  up  at  that  angle  will  soon  tire 
his  eyes,  which  will  aid  in  impressing  the  idea  of 
sleep.  Before  or  while  he  looks  into  your  eye, 
tell  him  what  he  is  to  expect ;  namely,  that  his 
eyes  will  soon  blur;  he  will  not  see  distinctly, 
and  then  that  his  eyelids  will  become  heavy  and 
close,  and  he  will  go  fast  asleep. 

What  you  predict  will  happen.  His  eyes  will 
blur,  the  lids  will  become  tired  and  heavy ;  they 
will  make  a  few  long  winks  and  then  close  and 
remain  shut,  and  the  probability  is  that  he  will 
fall  into  an  hypnosis.  When  the  eyelids  have 
closed  place  your  fingers  lightly  upon  them  and 
keep  them  closed  for  a  few  moments,  lest  his  ef¬ 
forts  to  open  them  should  arouse  him  and  -cause 
him  to  wake  up.  Then,  with  your  hand  lightly 
laid  upon  his  forehead,  give  a  slight  downward 
pressure  upon  the  eyebrows  and  assure  him  that 
it  is  impossible  for  him  to  open  his  eyes.  He 
will  try  and  probably  fail  to  open  them.  Now, 
he  is  hypnotized  and  suggestible. 

The  process  is  simple  and  is  easily  explained. 
It  is  a  physio-psychologic  phenomenon.  The 
blurring  of  the  vision  and  the  heaviness  of  the 


218 


APPENDIX. 


eyelids  are  due  to  strain  and  are  physiologic. 
The  falling  into  the  hypnotic  sleep  is  due  to  the 
adoption,  by  the  mind,  of  the  suggested  idea  of 
sleep  and  is  psychologic. 

A  combination  of  the  above  methods  is  better 
than  either  of  them  alone  and  will  succeed  in  al¬ 
most  every  case. 

Place  your  subject  in  the  usual  comfortable 
position  in  an  easy  chair  or  on  a  sofa  and  instruct 
him  to  relax,  bodily  and  mentally,  and  become 
passive  and  unresisting.  Then  have  him  look 
into  your  eye,  as  described  above,  and  at  the 
same  time  talk  to  him  in  a  monotonous  tone  of 
voice,  somewhat  as  follows : 

“You  are  now  thoroughly  relaxed,  passive  and 
unresisting.  You  are  resting  comfortably  and 
will  soon  fall  into  a  quiet,  restful  sleep.  My 
talking  to  you  will  not  annoy  you;  it  will  aid 
you  in  going  to  sleep.  Your  eyes  will  soon  blur 
and  you  will  see  indistinctly,  your  eyelids  will 
become  tired  and  heavy  and  they  will  have  to 
wink  and  will  finally  close  and  you  will  go  to 
sleep.  You  do  not  see  distinctly  and  your  eye¬ 
lids  are  becoming  very  heavy ;  they  have  to  wink, 
and  now,  they  are  closing.  Let  them  close ;  they 
are  tired  and  you  are  sleepy.  That  is  right.  I 
will  place  my  fingers  upon  them,  so,  and  help  you 
to  go  to  sleep.  You  are  very  sleepy,  so  sleepy 


APPENDIX. 


219 


that  you  could  not  keep  awake  if  you  should  try, 
but  you  will  not  try,  for  you  are  too  sleepy  and 
want  to  go  to  sleep.  You  are  drifting  away  into 
a  quiet,  restful  sleep,  sleep,  sleep ;  restful,  peace¬ 
ful  sleep,  sleep,  sleep.  Now,  you  are  asleep  and 
you  will  sweetly  rest ;  perfectly  relaxed  in  body 
and  mind ;  nothing  will  disturb  you  until  I  tell 
you  to  wake  up.” 

If  he  has  cooperated  with  you  the  subject  will 
now  be  in  an  hypnosis  and  amenable  to  sugges¬ 
tions.  If  told  that  he  cannot  open  his  eyes,  he 
cannot,  and  if  his  arm  is  raised  and  he  is  told 
that  he  cannot  lower  it,  he  cannot.  Perhaps  it 
should  be  explained  here  that  the  reason  for  this 

inability  lies  in  the  cooperation  just  mentioned ; 
it  has  now  become  so  complete  that  he  adopts 

your  suggestions  as  his  own.  He  cannot  do  it 
simply  because  he  believes  he  cannot  and  does 
not  and  perhaps  cannot  will  it.  In  the  common 
form  of  expression  of  many  subjects,  he  does  not 
wish  to  do  it.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  could  and 
would  resist  suggestions  that  were  very  distaste¬ 
ful,  possibly,  by  returning  to  his  normal  state. 

The  methods  described  will  usually  succeed  in 
producing  hypnosis,  but  it  is  necessary  to  indi¬ 
vidualize  our  subjects  and  adapt  the  method  to 
the  subject.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  find  out  what 
the  subject  knows  of  hypnotism  and  how  he  ex- 


220 


APPENDIX. 


pects  it  will  be  applied  in  his  case,  and  then,  if 
practical,  adapt  the  method  to  his  notions.  It 
will  save  time  and  insure  success.  If  he  expects 
you  to  hold  his  hands,  hold  them ;  if  he  must 
have  his  forehead  rubbed,  rub  it ;  if  he  wants  to 
look  at  a  bright  object,  furnish  one;  if  he  needs 
passes,  make  them,  and  so  on  ad  libitum. 

No  method  of  hypnotizing  is  the  method. 
What  succeeds  with  one  fails  with  another.  It 
must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  subject  really 
hypnotizes  himself ;  you  are  simply  aiding  him. 
As  soon  as  he  has  learned  how,  he  can  do  it  him¬ 
self  without  assistance.  It  is  largely  a  matter  of 
education.  *  *  * 

The  induction  of  somnambulism  is  simple,  but 
can  only  be  accomplished  in  persons  who  fall 
into  profound  states  of  hypnosis. 

After  the  subject  has  learned  to  pass  readily 
into  a  deep  hypnosis,  and  readily  accepts  inhib¬ 
itory  suggestions,  that  is,  cannot  open  his  eyes 
or  lower  his  raised  arm  when  told  that  he  cannot, 
he  is  ready  for  the  somnambulic  experiments. 
This  state  should  be  reached  gradually  while  the 
subject  has  his  eyes  closed.  The  induced  sleep 
is  easily  changed  into  somnambulism  because 
the  sleeper  is  in  touch  with  the  operator  and  has 
become  accustomed  to  adopting  his  suggestions. 
The  change  is  brought  about  bv  making  pro- 


APPENDIX. 


221 


gressive  suggestions.  Somewhat  as  follows: 
First,  suggest  visions  or  dream  pictures ;  after¬ 
ward,  sounds,  as  music  and  the  like ;  then,  the 
sensation  of  heat  and  cold;  have  the  subject 
acknowledge  that  these  suggestions  have  been 
realized,  and  lastly,  assure  him  that  he  can  open 
his  eyes,  but  that  he  will  not  wake  up  until  com¬ 
manded  to  do  so.  He  will  slowly  open  his  eyes. 
He  is  now  in  the  somnambulic  state.  *  *  * 

Now  that  we  recognize  that  suggestion  sup¬ 
ported  by  attention  play  the  principal  parts  in 
the  induction  of  hypnosis  it  is  quite  natural  to 
conclude  that  the  same  factors  would  explain 
how  hypnosis  is  removed.  This  is  true.  By  sug¬ 
gestion  the  subject  is  hypnotized  and  by  sugges¬ 
tion  he  is  dehypnotized.  The  operator  has  the 
subject’s  attention  and  can  change  him  from  one 
state  into  another  and  in  like  manner  can  wake 
him  up  at  will. 

When  I  have  completed  my  therapeutic  sug¬ 
gestions  and  am  ready  to  awaken  my  patient  I 
proceed  as  follows : 

“The  suggestions  I  have  given  you  with  ref¬ 
erence  to  your  illness  will  remain  deeply  "fixed 
upon  your  mind.  You  have  had  a  pleasant,  rest¬ 
ful  nap,  and  are  about  to  wake  up.  You  feel 
comfortable  and  happy  and  will  wake  up  when 
I  count  three.  Ready,  one,  two,  three.  You 
are  awake ;  open  your  eyes.” 


222 


APPENDIX. 


if 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  hypno¬ 
tized  are  never  unconscious  and  that  everything 
that  the  operator  says  and  does  acts  as  a  sugges¬ 
tion  to  them.  This  explains  how  a  timid  oper¬ 
ator  sometimes  gets  into  trouble.  *  *  * 

Before  leaving  this  topic  let  me  emphasize  a 
thing  or  two.  It  is  wise,  when  a  patient'  believes 
that  the  operator  has  a  special  “power,”  not  to 
hasten  to  disabuse  his  mind.  Hypnotize  him 
first  and  explain  afterwards,  else  it  may  be  very 
difficult  to  hypnotize  him.  The  reason  is  plain. 
Another  thing,  be  careful  that  you  do  not  fall 
into  the  same  error.  When  you  have  induced  a 
suggestible  state  in  and  can  dominate  the  sub¬ 
ject  in  thought,  word  and  deed,  do  not  think  that 
you  have  done  it  by  the  superior  strength  of  your 
mind.  Nothing  could  be  wider  of  the  mark. 
The  truth  is  best.  Be  not  deceived,  he  did  it 

himself. — Extract  from  Dr.  Halphide’s  work, 
Mind  and  Body. 


APPENDIX  B. 


A  STRANGE  EXPERIENCE. 

Some  time  ago  I  wrote  of  some  experiments 
I  had  made  in  telepathy,  and  now  I  want  to 
write  of  a  little  experience  I  have  had  since.  The 
question  was  raised  at  that  time  whether  telep¬ 
athy  was  a  lower  or  a  higher  faculty,  one  that 
we  have  passed  through  in  our  evolution,  or  one 
that  we  are  reaching  by  the  same  process.  That 
thought  transference  is  possible  with  animals 
seems  to  be  proven  by  the  phenomena  I  have 
lately  witnessed. 

I  will  relate  it  just  as  it  occurred:  I  was  in 
a  cigar  store  and  while  conversing  with  the  pro¬ 
prietor  a  gentleman  entered,  accompanied  by  a 
Scotch  collie  dog.  The  proprietor  said : 

“Dr.  Halphide,  shake  hands  with  Mr.  Clason.” 

“I  am  glad  to  meet  Mr.  Clason,”  I  said,  shak¬ 
ing  his  hand,  “because  I  have  heard  of  him  and 
his  dog,  and  have  wanted  to  see  them.” 

“Yes,”  answered  Mr.  Clason,  “the  dog  is  a 
well-known  animal,  much  more  widely  known 
than  myself.” 


223 


224 


APPENDIX. 


“Will  you  exhibit  her  for  me  and  let  me  get  an 
idea  of  her  powers  of  mind  reading?”  I  asked. 

“Certainly,”  he  replied.  “Bozzie,”  he  called  to 
the  dog  that  had  curled  herself  up  in  the  sun¬ 
shine  on  the  floor,  “wake  up  and  go  around  the 
store  and  come  back  and  tell  this  gentleman  how 
many  men  there  are  present.” 

The  dog  got  up  and  deliberately  walked 
around  the  store  and  came  back  and  sat  before 
me  and  barked  nine  times  without  any  further 
command,  which  was  the  correct  number  of  per¬ 
sons  present. 

The  owner  then  asked  me  to  write  a  number 
on  a  slip  of  paper  and  let  him  see  it.  I  wrote  the 
number  7,  and,  after  looking  at  it,  he  said 

“Bozzie,  the  doctor  has  written  a  number  on 
this  paper — what  is  it?” 

The  dog  immediately  barked  seven  times. 

“Now  to  prove  that  it  is  thought  transference 
and  that  I  make  no  sign  to  the  dog,”  said  Mr. 
Clason,  “you  will  step  with  me  behind  this  par¬ 
tition  and  give  me  any  number  that  you  wish,  and 
without  seeing  the  dog  I  will  call  to  her  and 
she  will  give  us  the  number  you  dictate.  .So  we 

went  behind  the  partition  and  I  held  up  my  hand, 
indicating  the  number  5.  He  then  called  to  the 

dog,  while  I  peered  out  between  the  curtains : 

“Bozzie,  what  is  the  number  this  gentleman 
has  given  me?” 


APPENDIX. 


225 


The  dog  at  once  barked  five  times.  It  seemed 
that  there  was  no  question  about  the  dog’s  abil¬ 
ity  to  read  the  mind,  but  in  order  to  make 
sure  I  made  another  test  for  myself.  Mr.  Clason 
had  said  that  the  dog  could  answer  ques¬ 
tions  for  me  as  well  as  for  himself,  so  I  took 

a  coin  from  my  pocket  dated  1883,  and,  after 
Mr.  Clason  had  told  the  dog  to  look  at  me  and 
answer  such  questions  as  I  might  ask  her,  I 
said : 

“What  is  the  last  figure  of  the  date  of  this 
coin?”  The  dog  gave  three  barks. 

“What  is  the  first  figure?”  I  continued.  The 
dog  gave  one  bark. 

“What  are  the  two  middle  figures  ?”  The  dog 
barked  eight  times.  I  was  convinced. 

“The  dog  can  tell  the  denomination  of 
money,”  Mr.  Clason  announced.  So  I  threw  a 
25-cent  piece  upon  the  floor,  and  the  dog  picked  * 

it  up  and  dropped  it  into  my  hand.  Then  I 
asked  her: 

“What  is  the  denomination  of  the  coin?  An¬ 
swer  in  two  figures.”  She  immediately  barked 
twice,  paused,  and  then  barked  five  times.  Mr. 
Clason  then  took  five  dice  from  the  counter  and 
threw  them  on  the  floor  and  ordered  Bozzie  to 
pick  them  up  one  by  one  and  tell  what  number  of 
spots  was  uppermost.  The  dog  picked  them  up 
as  directed,  and  correctly  announced  the  number 


226 


APPENDIX. 


of  spots  on  each.  Bozzie  had  a  litter  of  eleven 
puppies  a  short  time  ago,  and  now  has  at  home 
six  of  them,  so  when  Mr.  Clason  asked  her  how 
many  puppies  she  had  had  she  answered 
“eleven,”  and  when  asked  how  many  she  had  at 
home  now,  she  replied  “six.” 

“Doctor,  the  dog  can  tell  your  age,”  Mr. 
Clason  stated.  “Write  it  upon  a  slip  of  paper 
and  then  ask  her  to  tell  you  what  it  is  in  two 
numbers,  and  she  will  tell  you.”  I  wrote  down 
the  age  and  the  dog  correctly  announced  the 
two  numbers  “3”  and  “8”  in  her  language  of 
barks.  Just  then  a  lady  came  into  the  store,  and 
Mr.  Clason  asked  Bozzie : 

“How  many  ladies  are  there  present?”  She 
at  once  announced  “1.” 

“How  many  gentlemen  present  wear  glasses?” 
he  asked  her.  She  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then 
barked  twice.  There  were  two  of  us  present 
who  wore  glasses. 

“How  many  Jews  are  there  present?”  he 
asked.  Immediately  she  barked  once. 

“How  many  Irishmen?”  She  barked  three 

times. 

“How  many  old  men?”  She  barked  once,  in 
each  case  giving  the  correct  answer. 

“The  dog  is  good  at  mathematics,”  Mr. 
Clason  said,  and  he  gave  her  an  intricate  problem 
in  mental  arithmetic  which  I  do  not  recall,  but 


APPENDIX. 


227 


he  allowed  me  to  give  her  a  problem.  He  di¬ 
rected  her  attention  to  me,  and  I  said  to  her: 

“Bozzie,  multiply  3  by  5,  add  3,  divide  by  2, 
subtract  1,  divide  by  2  again  and  give  me  half 
of  the  result.  The  dog  immediately  barked 
twice.  I  gave  the  example  so  rapidly  that  sev¬ 
eral  present  were  unable  to  follow  me  and  we 
were  all  very  much  surprised  at  the  readiness 
with  which  the  dog  gave  the  correct  answer. 

I  have  given  the  account  of  the  exhibition  as 
nearly  as  possible  in  the  language  and  the  order 
in  which  it  occurred,  and  I  make  no  attempt  to 
explain  the  psychology  of  the  case  further  than 
to  state  that  in  my  judgment  it  is  an  example  of 
telepathy.  I  shall  study  the  dog  further  and  re¬ 
port. — Suggestive  Therapeutics,  May,  1900. 

MORE  ABOUT  THE  DOG. 

Unfortunately  Bozzie  died  before  I  had  an  op¬ 
portunity  to  complete  my  study  of  her,  but  I 
saw  enough  of  her  to  satisfy  myself  that  she  act¬ 
ually  read  my  mind  as  well  as  that  of  her  master. 
It  would  seem  that  this  was  proven  by  work 
she  did  for  me  while  blindfolded  and  in  the  dark. 
Had  she  been  dependent  upon  signs  from  her 
master  or  involuntary  signs  expressed  in  my 
own  face  it  would  have  been  necessary  for  her 
to  see  in  order  to  recognize  them. 


228 


APPENDIX. 


While  she  was  blindfolded  I  thought  of  a  num¬ 
ber  and  asked  her  what  it  was.  She  immediately 
barked  the  number  in  two  figures,  first  2  and 
then  7.  The  number  was  27.  Several  similar 
tests  were  made  and  she  never  failed  to  give  the 
correct  answer. 

In  the  dark  she  was  equally  accurate  in  her 
responses.  Without  any  contact  she  would  an¬ 
swer  any  question  that  could  be  expressed  in  her 
language  of  barks,  as  the  day  of  the  month,  the 
month  of  the  year,  my  age  and  the  like. 

It  was  expected  that  we  would  be  able  to 
make  a  thorough  study  of  the  dog  but  her  un¬ 
timely  death  prevented  it.  However,  enough 
was  seen  to  establish  her  wonderful  intellectual 
faculties  and  to  baffle  the  most  expert  psycholo¬ 
gist.  How  did  she  accomplish  her  feats  ?  The 
answer  must  be  by  telepathic  communication, 
and  all  of  the  wonders  of  that  most  mysterious 
process  are  involved  in  the  solution  of  the  ques¬ 
tion  raised.  It  would  be  interesting  to  discuss 
the  subject  at  length  and  some  day  in  the  near 
future  we  may  be  inclined  to  take  it  up,  but  for 
the  present  we  will  close  by  repeating  our  asser¬ 
tion  that  Bozzie  was  a  mind  reader. — Suggestive 
Therapeutics,  June,  1900. 


*• 

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